


Rick and Morty New Drama Adventures

by CMRRosa



Category: Rick and Morty, Total Drama (Cartoon), Total Drama Presents: The Ridonculous Race
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Crossover Pairings, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, F/M, High School, High School AU, Multi, Original Character(s), Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-04-18
Packaged: 2019-09-17 11:43:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 71,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16973973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CMRRosa/pseuds/CMRRosa
Summary: Morty Smith always had a hard time making friends at his school. His grandpa Rick didn't help any. But one day, something happened that seemed more unlikely than anything he had encountered on his dimension hopping adventures…he made some normal friends. Now he just has to worry about keeping them. A crossover story between Total Drama and Rick and Morty.





	1. Making Friends

Chapter 1: Making Friends

Morty scrubbed at his heavy eyes, trying to rub the tiredness from them. His head was finally clearing of the mega-seed induced fog he'd been stuck in. Morty's memory of the whole ordeal was still a bit scattered, but he knew he had definitely been out of it for a while. One glance at his phone let him know he had, of course, missed a few more days of school after his last adventure with Grandpa Rick. Morty groaned in frustration and tossed his phone down his bed. He knew it wasn't good that he'd missed so much of the semester, but Rick was pretty good at convincing Morty to tag along anyway.

He groggily rolled over and glanced at his clock. Shit! Speaking of school, he was going to miss another day if he stayed in bed like this. There was still thirty minutes before he had to leave which meant he had time for a quick shower and a bite to eat. Stumbling out of bed, Morty grabbed a pair of rumpled jeans and a t-shirt from his closet and rushed over to the bathroom. Morty could hear Summer talking to his mom downstairs, which meant the bathroom would be free.

He rushed through his shower and made it downstairs just in time for breakfast. Tossing his backpack over the back of his chair, Morty sat down and shoveled some eggs into his mouth. Across the table, Summer made a face and tapped away on her phone, no doubt complaining about her brother to her friends. If Morty didn't have a mouth full of eggs, he would have commented. He could hear his mom and dad talking in the kitchen, and Rick's voice was mysteriously absent. Morty just assumed he must have been out in the garage, or perhaps off planet again. He tried not to think too much about it, more concerned about the upcoming day.

School had always been a very stressful ordeal for him, especially when it came to talking to the other kids and making friends, and it had only gotten harder since he'd been missing days. Morty knew he had been gone for most of the semester by now, but he was determined to keep up with everyone else and try to live a normal life, just like every other kid his age.

There was no way his grandpa would be his only friend after so many years in this place, but as he got closer and closer to walking through the large swinging glass doors of his high school, the more nervous he became. What if there was a reason Rick was his only friend? What if the other kids all secretly disliked him?

His sister broke apart from him immediately, walking over to join a few of her other friends. Morty briefly thought about how he wished he could be like his sister, confident and surrounded by friends, but he quickly shoved those thoughts to the back of his mind. He was not about to let himself feel jealous over his sister.

Mood officially dampened, Morty shuffled down the hall to his locker. He was too busy thumbing through his textbooks and folders that he almost missed the girl walking up to him. Her brightly colored clothes caught his attention, and Morty had to think for a second to remember her name. He'd seen this girl in his chemistry class, recognizing the pigtails and impossibly cheery visage. What was her name? Kelly? Katy? Kitty? Kitty!

"Hey Morty! How have you been?" The smile never left Kitty's face, and she bounced back and forth on her heels while waiting for a reply.

"O-oh, I've been fine! Uh, just a bit sick, y'know?" He stuttered. While technically not completely false, he did feel a bit guilty for lying to Kitty. She seemed really nice, but he didn't think she'd believe him if he told her where he'd actually been.

"Totally! I'm glad you're feeling better now, and I'm sure everyone else will be glad you're back!" Morty wondered who 'they' were, but before he could ask Kitty was talking again. "I was just wondering, since we're both in the same chemistry class, if you could help me out a bit? You've been gone for, like, most of the semester, but you're still almost at the top of the class! Would it be okay if you helped me out a bit? Maybe we could meet up after school to study together or something? I hope it's not too much to ask, and I could totally help you out with your math homework! Only if it's alright with you, of course." Kitty's cheeks turned pink. Morty couldn't tell if she was embarrassed about asking for help or if she was just feeling a bit warmer. He hoped that whatever it was, she was alright.

"Y-yeah, okay. That'd be great!" Kitty clapped her hands together, and her smile seemed to get even brighter.

"I'll see you in class later then. Bye Morty, and thanks!" Just like that, in a blur of color and pigtails, Kitty was off down the hall again. Morty could feel his cheeks getting warm, and he quickly looked around to make sure no one had seen him blushing like a dork, especially his older sister. He just knew the teasing would never end!

The sharp ringing of the bells let Morty know that the first class of the day was just about to begin.

"Aw geez, I'm gonna be late." he muttered to himself. Quickly grabbing his books, Morty took off down the hall. He let out a sigh of relief when he made it through the door before the teacher, taking a seat as far back in the classroom as possible. He knew he should be doing some actual studying in a class called study hall, but he'd always had trouble focusing in classes that were, well, boring. Sure, his algebra grades could be better, and there was a big test coming up, but Morty would rather spend the period doing just about anything else.

The teacher walked into the room, tossing a stack of papers on to his desk before reading off the names on the roster. Morty muttered a quiet "here", seemingly surprising the teacher and a few of the other students. Exactly how many days of school had he missed?

Tucking away all of his textbooks, except Algebra, Morty decided he'd at least attempt studying. He pulled out a few pages of loose-leaf as well, trying his best to work out the problems. About ten minutes passed before he lost interest, begrudgingly closing his textbook and returning it to his bag. There'd just been so much on his mind recently; who could think of algebra when he'd been to different planets! He'd seen so many cool and interesting things in the past few months, math just seemed too boring in comparison.

Morty tapped his pencil against his desk for a few minutes, but he was forced to stop when a few students around him began to quietly complain. Not wanting to draw any more attention to himself, Morty instead decided to focus on the papers lying on the desk in front of him. Maybe he could get away with a bit of doodling? The teacher would only think he was copying some notes or doing homework, and besides, it was only a study hall.

Tossing his concerns aside, Morty began doodling in the margins of his papers. At first it was just a few stick figures, but after fifteen long minutes of listening to the clock tick and students sniffling, his mind turned once again to his adventures with Rick. He'd seen plenty of different creatures and plant life, so with the memories fresh in his mind, Morty began doodling some of the aliens. He may not be good at math, but Morty was impressed with his artwork, which, for a fourteen year old, he thought looked pretty good!

Morty got so wrapped up in his drawing, he didn't notice the attention he was drawing to himself from the nearby students. A few of them made faces at the bizarre drawings, but one of them, "a lanky teen", looked incredibly taken with them. "The lanky teen" tried to crane his neck to get a better look over Morty's shoulder, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

Morty almost jumped out of his seat when somebody poked his back. He looked over his shoulder to see who was poking him, but when he saw who it was, he was a bit confused. Morty had seen this kid around the school before, but he was a year ahead of Morty, so the two had never really talked much before. He knew Harold was his name, he's heard it whenever the teacher took role, but how did he know Morty? Morty had never really made friends with any of the other kids while growing up, preferring instead to fade into the background and keep a low profile. If the difference in age hadn't been a barrier, surely Morty's shy personality would have been?

Harold mouthed something to Morty, a grin plastered on his stubbly face. Morty raised an inquisitive eyebrow, not quite understanding what was going on. When Harold nodded his head down at Morty's desk, he flushed in embarrassment. He didn't know anyone was watching him draw!

"Dude, those drawings look awesome!" Harold stage whispered. Morty was so surprised someone was actually talking to him, let alone an older, probably cooler, student, that he forgot his previous worries about being caught goofing off in another class, especially a class the school had intentionally placed him in to help him catch up on missed work.

"T-thanks" Morty whispered back.

"Can I see them?" Harold eagerly held out his hands, and Morty tried his best to discreetly pass them back after taking a quick pass at the front of the classroom. He briefly met the eyes of another student across the room, and she quickly narrowed her eyes at his antics. Morty briefly wondered what her problem was before turning his attention back to Harold. He seemed to be very focused on Morty's drawings, and just like that Morty's nerves were immediately back. He tried to find something else to focus on, and settled for twiddling his thumbs.

A few moments later there was another tap on his shoulder.

"You have got to tell me more about these!" Harold's excited whisper came out a bit louder than intended, but the teacher seemed too engrossed in grading his stack of papers at this point to notice. Of course, the moment Harold handed the papers back to Morty was the moment he decided to look up and check on his students.

"Morty!" This time Morty did jump out of seat a bit, attention immediately at the front of the classroom. "This is a Study Hall, not free time to socialize with your friends! Please take out something to work on, and I had better not catch you two messing around again."

Morty and Harold quietly muttered "yes sir" before turning back to their desks. Morty was absolutely mortified about being called out like that! The other students only stared back at him for a moment before turning away, but to Morty it felt like forever. As soon as the bell had rung, signaling the end of class, he had practically bolted from his desk, but he was barely through the door when somebody grabbed his arm. Morty almost thought it would be the teacher trying to pull him aside for a lecture, or maybe to ask if he was alright after being out so many days, but when Morty turned around he saw that it was just Harold again.

"Where have you been all semester, man, I've barely seen you around in class?" Morty noted the legitimate concern in Harold's voice and tried his best to come up with a convincing reason.

"Oh, you know. I've just been, uh, sick?" Wow. What a terrible excuse! Harold raised a brow, but after a moment of pause, he nodded.

"You sure you haven't been skipping out to go to some fancy art school? Your drawings are really great, where'd you get the idea for all of those little alien guys?" Morty laughed at the joke and gave a polite 'thank you'. "Seriously, what's your secret?"

"I-I guess I've just got a, uh, great imagination!" he covered. If only he could just tell the truth! Travelling through space and time was a guaranteed way to make him at least a little bit cooler, right?

"You wanna hang out at lunch later? I've got a couple of friends who would love to see these, and we definitely need to do some catching up." Morty would have said no, but the eager look on Harold's face and the chance to make new friends was just too convincing.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun! I'll see you then?"

"Absolutely!" With a clap on the back, Harold took off to his next class. Morty lingered for a while longer in the hallway, still shocked that he had actually been invited to hang out with somebody at lunch. Somebody-s, by the sound of it! Morty walked to his next class in a haze. This was his chance to make new friends, something he'd been craving, and dreading, forever! He didn't know if he should feel nervous, excited, or maybe a bit of both?

The nerves only built as his next few classes passed. What if the other kids didn't like him? Or what if Harold just invited him to their table out of pity? Morty knew he had no reason to feel this way since Harold had never been anything but nice to him, but he couldn't help feeling stressed about the situation. Before heading to the cafeteria, Morty took a quick moment to head to the bathroom and pull himself together. He splashed a bit of water on his face to clear his thoughts and reminded himself that no matter what happened, it couldn't possibly be any worse than the last few months with Rick. Rick was a bit of a jerk, and no amount of verbal humiliation from Harold or his friends could possibly be worse than shoving some mega seeds up his… well.

Morty took one last deep breath before pushing open the cafeteria doors. The onslaught of noise was almost deafening, and it was difficult to spot Harold amongst the crowd. He eventually spotted a familiar head of red hair and made his way over to the table. As soon as he was close enough, Harold was out of his seat and jogging over to Morty.

"This way, Morty! I gotta introduce you to my friends," Harold guided Morty over to his table and to a free seat beside him. The other kids at the table all turned to look at who Harold had brought with him, clearly happy to meet one of his new friends. So far so good, Morty thought to himself.

"This is Noah. He can be a bit sarcastic sometimes, but don't worry, he's usually a pretty great guy." Harold pointed across the table to a brunette kid slouched over in his seat and taking a bite out of an apple. Noah looked up from his lunch and gave a little flop of his hand which Morty suspected might have been a wave. Morty didn't really know what to make of that, so he awkwardly waved back. If Harold said he was a great guy, Morty would trust his opinion.

"This guy over here is Cody! If you ever have a tech problem, he's your guy." Another brunette boy, this one shoving some peas across his tray. Cody smiled and held his hand out to Morty, which he eagerly took hold of. "PS, never take his advice when it comes to girls. His pickup lines? Terrible!"

"Hey man, my pick-up lines are solid. You just don't have the same manly charms as I do," Cody flexed his arms, trying to show off non-existent muscles. The other kids at the table laughed before Harold went back to introducing everyone else.

"That over there is Sam. He loves video games, especially MMORPGs! I bet he could make a few recommendations if you like?" Harold motioned to another redheaded boy sitting next to Cody.

"U-uh, yeah sure, that'd be cool!" Morty heard Sam let out a little happy *nice* before pumping his fist in the air. There were so many people, and Harold hadn't even finished introducing them all!

"That right there is Dawn. She's super helpful and great with animals." Morty looked over at the mysterious blonde, but she was just giving him an odd look.

After squinting at Morty for a few seconds she jumped in her seat, "We are going to be great friends; I can see it now!" Morty was at first confused, but when Dawn started going on about the color of his aura, he thought he understood a bit better. He'd seen aliens and other dimensions; a girl who could read his future seemed perfectly normal in comparison.

"And we can't forget Zoey! She's friends with everybody around here. We're just lucky she likes to hang out with us nerds." Zoey giggled and playfully punched Harold in the arm. The redhead had the biggest smile on her face as she and Harold playfully swung at one another. Morty knew if he could connect with anybody at this table, it would be her, he just knew it. Zoey just seemed so bubbly and happy!

"Alright now, everybody, this here is Morty!" Harold finally introduced his new friend. Morty fought the instinct to shrink down in his seat and instead nervously returned everyone's wave.

"How did you meet this kid? Isn't he, like, 12?" Noah asked, nonchalantly flipping out his phone.

"He's not 12 Noah, and we met in Study Hall. The guy's actually pretty cool," Harold quickly turned to Morty, re-adjusting his glasses, "You gotta show them your drawings, bud."

"O-oh, okay!" Morty dug into his backpack and pulled out a few pages of his doodles. He quietly passed them around the table to everyone, incredibly nervous about what a gang of upperclassmen would think of his drawings. They all seemed like cool kids, and he didn't want them to think he was just some lame kid.

Seeing his face, Zoey reached an arm over and placed it on his shoulder.

"No need to be nervous, Morty. These are great!"

"Yeah, kid, you've got some real talent." Noah complimented. At least Morty thought it was a compliment. Harold did say he could be sarcastic…

"Dude, these are way more awesome than anything I've ever drawn! Are you into space stuff, like aliens and all? I've got a few games with that stuff that I think you'd love to play! What console do you play?" Sam leaned across the table, studying some of the doodles his other friends were holding.

"T-thanks, and I, um, I don't really play many video games to be honest, but I do have an old PlayStation lying around somewhere." To be honest, Morty had no time after school to play any videogames, but he didn't really want to let Sam down and admit that he actually didn't game much at all.

"A bit old-school, but I should still be able to recommend some good ones."

"Oh Sam, leave him be! You've got a serious addiction, my friend." Cody shook his head forlornly at the other teen.

"These ones are really pretty, what are they?" Dawn asked, holding out some doodles of some of the flora Morty had seen. Morty was suddenly very glad he hadn't been unconsciously doodling Mega trees. He didn't know if he'd ever be able to live it down!

"JO-oh, uh, just some plants, I guess. I'm not really sure what any of this stuff is? It sorta just comes to me most of the time."

"Wow. That's amazing. Can you draw other flowers, or are these alien plants all you like to draw?" Dawn asked.

"N-no, I could probably draw other stuff i-if I wanted." Morty wondered if she as maybe going to ask him to draw something, but Dawn just nodded and went back to looking at his drawings. Morty wondered what it was she was so intent on studying. He didn't think they were that great, but apparently everyone else thought differently. Secretly, he was glad for the ego stroke. It was a much needed feeling after recovering from the last few days.

"So, Zoey, how did your Physics exam go?" Morty heard Noah asking the redhead. He was relieved when the conversation drifted to other topics, and he occasionally chimed in when he felt comfortable enough to do so. He was grateful they weren't trying to force him to join the conversation and that they were instead letting him join at his own pace. It was just so much less nerve-wracking this way, and Morty was again touched by how kind Harold and his friends were. Nobody had ever put this much effort into befriending Morty before, and he was still a bit dazed thinking about it.

The light conversation continued like this for the rest of the lunch period. At one point, Morty had even been given a cookie from Dawn, who had kindly shared her homemade snacks with the rest of the table. He'd also been given a scrap of paper with some hastily written game suggestions from Sam, with a promise that he would definitely love them. Before parting ways, Harold had given Morty his cell number so that the two could text out of school.

"Just so long as you feel up to it, alright buddy?" Morty nodded and waved goodbye to all of his new friends, taking off and heading to his locker to swap textbooks. He was feeling much better about his day after lunch with Harold and the crew, like nothing could possibly bring his mood down. Morty hadn't felt like this in a while, and he was glad for the change.

Chemistry was his next class, and he wasn't worried at all. Chemistry was the one course he was really good at, something, he suspected, he might have picked up by listening to all of Rick's slurred speeches about his experiments. Whatever it was, he had a knack for the subject. This was also his only class with Kitty, the girl that was at his locker earlier that day. Morty blushed at the memory.

He only barely managed to school his features before arriving at class, quietly slipping into his usual seat in the back of the classroom. Kitty arrived shortly after, and when she saw Morty she made a beeline to the other boy.

"Hey, Morty! Is it okay if I sit here today? The seat I usually sit in has been taken by someone else." Kitty's cheeks turned pink and she shuffled back and forth. Morty choked on his own words and barely managed a nod. All signs of nerves were immediately gone from Kitty, and her cheerful smile was back. "Thanks!"

The experiment for the day involved mixing different chemicals to observe any physical reactions, something Morty really enjoyed. It was made only better when he and Kitty were designated lab partners; a fact she seemed happy about as well.

"Wow, Morty, you're really good at this stuff!" Kitty exclaimed halfway through the experiment.

"T-thanks." Morty blushed at the compliment.

"You have got to show me how you do it sometime! I'm just so bad at remembering all of this stuff, especially on top of all my other coursework." Kitty puffed her cheeks out in irritation, quickly jotting a few notes about the color of the compound.

"I'm sure you're not that bad," Morty insisted.

"I know, but I've got a lot to live up to, y'know? My older sister was just so good at all of this stuff, especially the sciences, but I've always just been more of a people-person!" Morty could understand the feeling of living under the shadow of an older sibling, but he thought Kitty was pretty good at this stuff and was just selling herself short. He wished he knew how to help her, or that he had some better advice, but Morty had never really been very good with this kind of thing.

"I can help you with at least one of those things!" Kitty laughed even though Morty thought it was a pretty lame attempt at a joke.

"Thank you so much, Morty, really. It means a lot to me that you're willing to help me out." She looked down at the mix of colorful tubes sitting on their desktop, a stray strand of hair falling down in her face. Aw geez. Morty knew this feeling. He had felt once before for another girl, but Kitty was actually talking to him! Maybe she was feeling it too? Morty tried not to get his hopes up too soon. Baby steps, Morty, baby steps.

"When did you want to meet up to study? I have a study hall 3rd period if you're free?"

"I don't have any free periods this year. What about after school? We could meet up at the library or, oh! I know! There's this new coffee place that opened up just down the street. I'll bring my math notes and you can bring your chemistry notes? We can get coffee or donuts while we study, too! It'll be loads of fun." Morty thought that sounded sorta like a date, but what did he know about dates? It would be, in Kitty's words, loads of fun regardless.

"That sounds great! How's 4 work for you? That'll give me time to run home and drop off my other stuff."

"It's a date then! I'll bring some extra cash for some donuts, 'k?" Morty blushed and nodded. Kitty smiled and turned back to the notes sitting in front of them. Morty had a hard time focusing on the experiment from that time on, but He tried his best to pay attention for Kitty. The two talked about what they'd been doing since the semester started (most of which Morty had to leave out) and about some things they'd seen on TV. Kitty was aghast to hear that Morty hadn't been to a movie theatre in ages, and she promised to take him as soon as she could. By the time class ended, Morty and Kitty had exchanged cell numbers to text after school.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur for Morty. He couldn't believe how many people were talking to him now, and they were all just so friendly! He thought of Harold and his crew as his friends now, and Kitty, too! Maybe this school year wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.

Closing his locker, Morty got ready to head home. Usually he'd catch a ride with Summer or his dad, but he felt more like walking home today, as it gave him some much needed peace to think. When he told his sister of his plans, she only rolled her eyes.

"Whatever you want, Morty. Just don't complain to me if you're home late!" Morty promised he'd get home on time. It wasn't like they lived that far away anyway, and besides, he had someplace important to be tonight!

Turning down another hallway, Morty almost bumped into another student. The other kid was storming down the hall, and the look on his face made Morty want to turn tail and run the other way. The kid had to have been an upperclassmen because there was no way such a scary looking guy was only a freshman or sophomore! Morty peeked around the corner to see which unlucky sole was going to be at the other end of his wrath, but he was shocked to see only Harold standing in the hallway. Harold saw the other kid coming and immediately pressed himself back against the lockers.

"Duncan! C'mon man, what d'you want this time?" The scary kid, Duncan, snarled and punched his fist into the locker next to Harold's shoulder.

"Where are your little dweeb friends now, huh?" Duncan crooned. Morty felt anger bubbling up in his stomach, but he didn't know what to do! He swallowed, trying to gather every ounce of courage he had. He couldn't just let someone pick on his new friend like that!

"H-hey, l-l-leave him alone!" Morty hesitantly stepped around the corner, voice cracking on the last word. Duncan turned sharp eyes towards the new kid.

"Who the hell is this? Another one of your little lackeys?" Duncan gave Harold one last glare before stalking over to Morty. "Look at him, he's pathetic!" Duncan gave Morty's shoulder a harsh shove, sending the younger boy tripping backwards.

"Man, leave him alone! Why don't you go pick on somebody your own size, Duncan!" Harold ran up beside Morty, reaching a hand out to help steady him.

"Whatever. I'll see you around, losers!" Duncan shoved himself between the two boys and headed off down another hallway.

"Are you okay, Morty? I'm really sorry about that, Duncan's just some jerk from my class."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, thanks. And you?" Morty tried not to show just how shocked he was about the whole ordeal. He just wished he'd have thought of something better to say, or maybe something a little more badass.

"Yeah, thanks to you!" Harold gave the dented locker a wary glance. "That's just Duncan being Duncan, but usually I have another friend or two around. I forgot one of my textbooks and had to run back and grab it. Thanks for saying something, man. I really appreciate it!"

"No problem! You alright now?"

"Yeah, I'm going to go catch up with the others. You wanna come with? We're all hanging out at Sam's tonight."

"No thanks," Morty declined. "I've got a study group tonight."

"Awesome! I'll catch up with you tomorrow then, Morty. Have fun!" Morty waved goodbye to his friend and continued his journey down the hall. The weather outside was sunny and warm, perfect for walking home in. Morty looked up the clouds, enjoying the nice view on his way home. When he arrived, Rick was passed out in the garage (or working, it was hard to tell sometimes), Summer was sitting on the kitchen counter talking to one of her friends, and his parents were nowhere to be seen. Morty was glad he could avoid everyone as he got ready for his not-date. Before leaving, he made sure to tell his grandpa he was leaving for the evening to study. Rick muttered something unintelligible, but Morty took that as an okay.

The coffee shop was easy to find, and as Kitty said, it wasn't a very far walk at all. He spotted Kitty sitting at a table in the back corner, a large box of donuts sitting on the table in front of her.

"Hi, Morty! Over here! I didn't know what kind you liked best, so I just bought a bunch of them. Whatever we don't finish I'll take home for my sister, unless you wanted to take some home, too?"

"No thanks! I don't think my family would really like them." Lies, but Kitty had spent her money on them, so she should be the one to take the leftovers. Maybe he'd sneak one home to have for breakfast the next morning. "They look delicious though!"

"I know, right? Eat as many as you'd like, I bought plenty!" Morty thought he might just have to take her up on that offer. The two sat down across one another and pulled out their notes. Eventually Morty shifted his chair closer to Kitty so that he could get a better look at her algebra notes.

"Wow, that makes way more sense then what I learned!" Morty muttered in awe.

"Really? Well, I'm glad I got to show you then. Bet you're glad, too, huh?" Kitty laughed at took a bite out of one of the doughnuts. Morty laughed with her and took a bite of his own doughnut.

"Think you're ready to take on some Chemistry?"

"Bring it, Smith!"

Morty walked Kitty through his notes, carefully explaining the different experiments they had been performing in the past few weeks. Kitty nodded as he spoke, occasionally chiming in with a few questions. When she thought she finally had a better understanding of the material, thanked Morty again for his help.

"I just wish I could have gotten to know you better in a different way, Morty. This is just all so… Boring? Do you want to hang out again sometime, as friends and not tutors? We could, like, go to a movie or go roller skating? Sitting around sipping coffee and eating doughnuts just isn't my style." Morty thought about it for a minute. While he'd love to hang out with Kitty more often, he didn't know if he could make any promises when his grandpa was dragging him off planet all of the time. He supposed he could eventually tell her the truth, just not yet.

"How about this weekend? There's a new movie coming out, and we could go see it together?" Morty barely managed to avoid stuttering when he made the suggestion. Was he being too forward? Was this weekend too soon? Aw geez. Now he was worrying again!

"Hold on, lemme just check." Kitty pulled out her phone and started tapping away. Morty took a few calming breathes and waited for her reply. When Kitty smiled up at him, Morty quickly looked away and instead focused on anything but the girl sitting next to him. "Weekend's all free, how about you come pick me up at my place at noon? We can get just get lunch at the theatre!"

"Alright, I'll be there at noon." Morty nervously returned her smile.

"Oh! Hey Morty, would it be alright if I took a picture with you before you left? Sorry, I just love taking selfies with all of my friends!" Morty felt his heart skip a beat when Kitty leaned over and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. She snapped a quick pic on her phone, and, with a promise to text him later tonight, she left. Morty looked down and realized she had left the rest of the doughnuts on the table with him. He carefully balanced the box of doughnuts in his arms with all of the Algebra notes he'd copied before heading out himself. It was already dark out? Had they really spent that whole time just studying? Morty hadn't even noticed this much time had passed, too engrossed with Kitty.

Aw geez. He'd better keep these… weird feelings to himself. Morty didn't really know who else to talk to about his maybe-crush, Kitty. Anybody in his family was just out of the question! There was no way he would ask his dad or grandpa about girls. His dad was even worse than he was with this type of thing, and Rick would probably think he was above it all! Maybe he could just talk to one of his new friends? Out of all the kids he'd met that day, Harold would probably be his best bet. He'd text Harold about it tomorrow, tonight he just wanted to lie down and go to bed already.

It'd been such a long exhausting day of socializing, but, in the end, he'd made new friends at school, and that was definitely worth it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: This is CMR Rosa bring a new story. I come up with this idea while talking with my friend Rufus T. Serenity. We were talking about what would happen if Morty from Rick and Morty would meet some of the teens from Total Drama and which teens would Morty be most likely to be friends and enemies with and this story was born. This story is set in a alternate universe were all the Total Drama teens go to the same school and the show never happen. To keep thing simple the Rick and Morty in this story are the the same from the show, Dimension C-137 only with the Total Drama teens going to the same school as Morty. This chapter is set between the first and second episode of Rick and Morty. Some of the Rick and Morty episodes may be posted out of order to to suit the needs of this story. Finally Harod and his friend are all 15, Duncan is 16, while Kitty is 14.
> 
> This story is co write with ratchet-the-whambulanceratchet from Tumblr.


	2. Breakfast Building Friendships

Kitty stared at her reflection in the mirror, carefully running a brush through her long dark locks, and a determined look on her face. Maybe she'd let her hair down for the day? It wasn't like she was going out anywhere fancy, just to hand out with some friends for the day.

"Hey, Emma! How do you think I should wear my hair?" She called out to her sister.

"Definitely down," Emma replied, poking her head into Kitty's room. She had her own dark hair pulled up in a tight bun, and she was wearing pressed slacks and a nice purple blouse. Kitty admired the fact that even on weekends her sister would always try to look her best.

"Alright, thanks!" Kitty beamed, quickly shaking out her hair a bit before following her sister downstairs for breakfast.

"Oh, don't you two look cute today!" Their mother cooed, laying a plate of pancakes on the table. She was wearing her messy cooking apron, the one that they had decorated for her years ago in their childhood, and her messy hair framed her smiling face.

"And where are you girls going today?" Their father asked from across the room, Sunday paper tucked under his arm. He was wearing sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, something so opposite the suit he normally wore during work. His eyes looked tired from the long hours he worked, but his warm smile took years off of his face.

"I'm just going out for lunch with Noah," Emma muttered around a mouth full of food.

"That's nice, dear! You'll have to introduce us sometime!"

"Ugh, mom!" Emma half-heartedly rolled her eyes.

"I'm just gonna hang out with Carrie and Devin before my study partner comes over tonight."

"Kitty, just don't forget to give us a call when you get there, alright?"

"No problem, dad." Kitty smiled up at her parents before returning to her pancakes. She only half listened to her parents' banter over breakfast, already planning for the day ahead of her. She'd probably go to the mall with Devin and Carrie, then maybe a quick movie before coming home in time for dinner. She had invited Morty to come study at her place instead, and she couldn't wait for him to meet her parents!

Kitty's phone lit up, buzzing in her pocket. When she checked the text, Kitty saw that Carrie and Devin were almost there to pick her up. Giving her parents a quick hug goodbye, and waving to her sister, Kitty slung her purse over her shoulder and bound out the front door. Devin's mom pulled up into the driveway, Carrie and Devin already waiting in the backseat. Kitty waved to her friends, quickly thanked Devin's mom, and jumped into the back seat.

"Hey, guys!" She cheerfully greeted.

"What's up, Kitty?" Carrie turned around in her seat to talk to the other girl, brushing a strand of golden locks out of her face. Kitty smiled. She just knew today was going to be so much fun!

The three friends spent the morning hanging out at the mall, wandering around and browsing the windows. Kitty decided she would pick up a cute pair of earring for Emma, and a few treats for her parents. She briefly considered maybe picking something up for Morty as well, but quickly shoved the thought from her head. The barely knew each other!

"Kitty! You coming or what? We're gonna miss the movie if we don't hurry up!" Devin asked from down the hall, absently tugging at the threads around his neck.

"Coming!" Kitty called back. She excitedly pulled out her phone, sending a quick text to her parents that they were starting the movie. The three friends spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and chatting with one another. Carrie seemed to be giving Devin googly eyes every now and then, something which Kitty just rolled her eyes at. She loved both of her friends, but sometimes they could just be so dense! She'd gotten used to this behavior since meeting the two, and she was sure it would probably never change.

Kitty snapped a few selfies after the movie, and made plans to hang out again later that week. Devin's mom drove Kitty back to her house, and he and Carrie both waved her goodbye as she stepped out of the car. Kitty tossed a quick goodbye over her shoulder before heading back inside.

Her dad was on the phone, animatedly talking to who she could only assume was his boss. Even on his days off, her dad was still a busy man. She quietly stepped into the room and announced that she was home. Her dad glanced up from his work with a smile, and mouthed a quick 'thank you' after being handed the box of treats.

Her mom, who was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, gave a similar response, half hugging her daughter to avoid getting her dress covered in flour. Kitty then skipped upstairs to look for Emma. After seeing that she wasn't back from her lunch yet, Kitty decided to just leave the new earrings on her bed. She went to her own room to play around on her phone for a bit. She texted Morty to remind him that they were meeting tonight to study. She couldn't wait to introduce her new friends to her family! She just knew that they'd love him.

Emma returned in time for dinner, and she thanked her younger sister for the new earrings. Kitty was glad that she liked them, and the two head down to eat. The family sat around the small round table, animatedly talking about their day. Kitty smiled up at her family, feeling incredibly grateful that they could all spend their Sunday evening together.

As soon as dinner was finished, Kitty head into the kitchen with Emma to help their mom clean the dishes. She couldn't wait for Morty to come over for their study session! They'd been talking more in class, but she never got the chance to hang out with him during school since their lunches were at different times.

A quiet knock on her door let her know when Morty had finally arrived. She opened the door to see the other teen shuffling around on the porch, arms filled with textbooks.

"Hey, Morty! Let me get some of those," Kitty grabbed a few of his textbooks and lead him into the kitchen. "Mom, dad, Morty's here!" Kitty's mom looked up from a pile of bills she was digging through, taking in their new guest.

"Hello, dear. Morty, was it?"

"Y-yes ma'am…" Morty nervously stuttered.

"No need to be nervous," her mother got up to give Morty a welcoming hug, "A friend of Kitty's is a friend of the family."

"What's up Morty~ So he's your friend huh?" Emma swung into the kitchen, interested in who her sister's new friend was. She tossed her sister a wink, and Kitty rolled her eyes at her sister's antics. Emma was usually pretty serious, but what was a big sister without a bit of playful teasing?

"I'm just kidding; welcome to the family, Morty! I've seen you around a few times in school, and I'm glad to see you coming out of your shell this year. It's nice to finally meet my sister's new friend." Emma smiled and gave Morty a quick hug. "Don't let me keep you two, have fun tonight! I have some left-over fries in the fridge from lunch if you want any, and just knock on my door if you need anything. See you around, Morty!" Emma walked around the two and head upstairs to do some studying of her own.

"C'mon Morty, we can go study in the living room."

"You two have fun now," her mother hummed, smiling at the two kids as they left the kitchen. Kitty brought Morty into the living room and set the books down on the coffee table. She looked up to see Morty glancing around the room at all of the photos of her family. Kitty frowned at the troubled look on his face. She didn't know much about his home life as Morty was pretty reserved when it came to personal matters. She just hoped that whatever was wrong with him, that she'd be able to help.

The pair sat down and began their study session. Kitty noticed that the longer they talked, the more at ease Morty became. A part of her was glad that she was able to help him relax a bit, even if for a moment. She wanted to ask questions, but knew that the other teen would only get more nervous. There just had to be a way that she could help him!

Eventually, when they grew bored of chemistry, Kitty decided to show Morty around the house. She didn't bring him into her dad's office, as she didn't want to disrupt his work, so she instead decided to head upstairs. Emma was sitting on her bed, surrounded by boring law books. Kitty knew she was just trying to get a head start in law school, but she personally thought her sister was overworking herself.

Kitty showed Morty to her room, and pulled out her collection of CDs. Morty seemed impressed with it all, and hesitantly asked if they could listen to one. Kitty gladly obliged, and the two sat down on her bed.

"You should, like, definitely come over more often! I never get to see you in class." Kitty gently punched Morty's shoulder.

"O-oh, yeah! I'd just have to ask my parents or R- my grandpa…" Kitty noticed that he was starting to look nervous again, and decided to lead the conversation elsewhere.

"So, I went to see this new movie today, and I think you would have liked it!" Kitty talked for a while about the movie, and Morty hesitantly joined the conversation. She learned that Morty enjoyed movies, and that his favorite genre was sci-fi. Kitty herself preferred a thrill in her movies, and she suggested they go catch a flick sometime together. She giggled when Morty blushed, and asked before snapping a quick selfie.

The two hung out for a while, but a loud knock at the door had both teens jumping. Kitty poked her head out, eyes meeting Emma's. Emma looked just as confused as Kitty felt.

"Morty, dear!" they could hear their mother calling up the stairs. "Your, um, grandfather is here to pick you up." Morty's eyes grew big, and he looked absolutely mortified. Kitty frowned, and walked him downstairs. A taller man was standing, er, swaying in the doorway. He had messy balding grey hair, and a long lab coat that hung down to his knees. His chin was covered in drool, and his sharp eyes looked like the man hadn't slept in weeks.

"C'mon M*urp*Morty! You can hang out with your *urp* girlfriend later." Kitty swore she could smell alcohol on the man's coat, and she didn't like how he was ignoring her. She cast a worried glance toward her mother, and then over to Morty. Morty's face was bright red and he was staring down at his shoes. Her mom just shook her head and held an arm out to try and steady the man.

"Are you sure you wouldn't like me to call a cab, Mr. Sanchez?" her mother offered.

"N*urp*no need! I'm perfectly capable of *urp* driving myself!" The man declined, swaying dangerously to one side.

"I-I'll see you at school tomorrow." Morty promised, giving Kitty his most sincere smile. Kitty nodded and watched as her friend practically dragged his grandfather to their car. She watched the headlights disappear down the street, hoping that Morty would make it back alright. She could hear her mother and father grumbling about the man, Rick, about how irresponsible a caregiver he was. Kitty had to agree, but she would never hold it against Morty. She would definitely need to speak with him tomorrow.

Morty couldn't believe last night had happened. He had been having such a nice evening with Kitty and her family, but then Rick had to show up and embarrass him in front of everyone! He knew his grandpa was just trying to look out for him, but he couldn't erase the images of their disappointed faces from his mind. It wasn't directed at him, of course he knew that, but still…

He groggily rolled out of bed, pulling on some clothes and grabbing his bag for school. He avoided going into the dining room, deciding instead to just grab an apple and head outside to wait for his dad to drive them to school. He could hear Rick out in the garage, no doubt moving on to his next experiment after the dream hopping. Morty glowered at his shoes, still bitter about losing Snuffles.

"C'mon, Morty, you're going to make us late to school." Summer griped, stepping outside toward the car. Morty took a breath, and tried his best not to snark back at her. Why couldn't she be more like Kitty's older sister? He quietly slid into the back seat, and thought about his day while Summer blabbed on about her friends upfront.

Club sign-ups were starting today, and he was excited to see what they had to offer. He knew he wouldn't be interested in marching band, although Harold had tied his best to convince him. Morty would much rather prefer a quiet club where he could relax a little. He heard that Zoey was going to join the library club, and he thought that maybe he'd join with her. He would never admit it out loud, but he did think she was kinda cute. The redhead was just so giggly and happy at lunch, and she was very easy to get along with. He looked forward to possibly getting to hang out with her a bit more outside of lunches.

They pulled up to the school, and Morty though that it looked way less intimidating than it did on that first day. He was excited to see Harold, Noah, Cody, Sam, Zoey and Dawn. Walking down the hall to his locker, Morty narrowly avoided running into Duncan. The bully had started picking on him after he tried to stand up for Harold, but Morty was smart enough to just stay away from him when possible. As long as he was leaving Harold and the others alone, Morty didn't mind all that much. Kids had picked on him plenty of times before.

Harold was standing in front of Morty's locker when he arrived. The other teen looked concerned, and Morty could guess why. After the whole incident with Snuffles, Morty had missed a few more days of class. It wasn't that he didn't want to come in, he was just way too tired and messed up over the whole thing.

"How've you been, Morty? We all missed you at school last week! The guys and I really missed you, you wanna talk about it man?" Harold placed a comforting hand on Morty's shoulder. Morty hesitated, not really sure how to explain what all he saw and what exactly had happened to his family dog.

"U-um, I've just been a bit stressed out, is all. I, uh, went on a trip with my grandpa and it was pretty crazy, and when we got back my dog sorta ran away. I was too tired to come back to class right away. I must have caught a little virus on our trip or something." Oh boy. He laughed nervously, scratching at the back of his neck. It wasn't like he was flat out lying to Harold; he was stressed out.

"Are you sure you're okay, man? Want us to help you find your dog or something?" Morty shook his head, but thanked Harold for the kind offer. He was thankful his friends were here to ground him, something he never got back home.

"I'll see you in class, and we can talk more at lunch. I have got to tell you about my weekend. The guys and I went to a Ren Faire; you should definitely come with us sometime."

"Thanks, Harold. I'll see you around." Morty waved to the redheaded teen before rooting around in his locker a bit more. He heard a commotion down the hall, and when he looked to see the source he was met with the enraged face of Duncan. He tried to make a last minute escape, but when he wheeled around to flee another student blocked his route. He vaguely remembered seeing her in one of his classes, but before he could think about it anymore Duncan was grabbing his shoulders and slamming him back into the lockers.

"You're not getting away from me this time, Smith! Bet you thought you were acting pretty tough the other day, huh?" Morty looked around for an escape route, or maybe for help, but all of the other students had backed away; too afraid to step in and help.

"L-look, I don't want any trouble, alright?" Morty held his hands up in a placating manor.

"You don't? Funny, because I'm pretty sure you were asking for it the other day when you stopped me from beating on that nerd, Harold."

"Teach this kid a lesson, Duncan." The other girl sneered. Morty squinted at her. She was definitely that pushy girl in his math class, the teacher's pet. Why was she even here? He couldn't even remember speaking to her! Obviously she and Duncan were looking to start a fight with him, so he focused on trying to talk his way out of the situation.

"L-look, we're in the middle of a hallway! There are cameras right there! Why don't you let me go and we can settle this elsewhere?" What? Bad idea! Morty mentally berated himself for making such a stupid suggestion, but he was so tired of dodging around corners to escape Duncan. The bully glowered down at the smaller teen and crowded into his space. Without thinking, Morty shoved Duncan away from him, knocking him back a few steps. Duncan looked up, eyes blown wide with rage.

"Aw geez," Morty didn't even hesitate before fleeing.

"You'd better watch your back, Smith!" he could hear the threat in Duncan's voice as he yelled after him. Why did he do that!? Know he was going to get his ass kicked! Morty ran all the way to his first class, quickly ducking into the room and sliding down into his seat.

All throughout Algebra he could feel Courtney glaring at him when the teacher's back was turned.

"Dude, what did you do?" Harold asked. Morty looked back at his friend, making sure Mr. Goldenfold wasn't paying attention.

"I just signed my own death wish, that's what!" He couldn't quite keep the panic from leeching into his voice. Harold just gave him a quizzical look, so Morty elaborated. "I-I just picked a fight with Duncan? I'm not really sure, the whole thing just happened so fast!"

"I know you two are not mouthing off back there in my classroom!" Mr. Goldenfold called from the front of the classroom. Morty muttered a quiet apology and turned back toward his desk. He was too stressed to doodle, and he was too stressed to actually pay attention. All of the noise in the classroom faded to static, and his whole body felt numb. Why couldn't he just be a normal teenager with a normal teenage life? A reassuring hand on his shoulder broke him from his reverie.

"It'll be alright, man. We've got your back. Duncan's been picking on us for years! He's all bark and no bite, so you should be fine." Morty calmed a bit at Harold's words, but he couldn't help that tiny nagging worry at the back of his mind. Maybe he should just tell everyone about what was going on outside of school, maybe then they'd understand! But… He was still concerned about what they'd all think. Would they think he was crazy? Would they think he was a weirdo for being friends with his grandfather? Or would they think his adventures sounded like fun (even though most were terrifying).

Morty tapped the end of his pen on his stack of notes. He'd definitely have to think about this a little more. Maybe he could even talk his grandpa Rick into taking he and his friends on a nice safe adventure. At least as safe as an adventure into another dimension or planet could be.

When the bell rang, Morty quietly headed toward the restrooms. Oftentimes he'd hole up and hide in here for a bit to calm down, and right now he definitely needed to relax. He carefully thought about what he'd say to all of his friends, and how exactly he could explain to them that he'd been to other planets without sounding insane. Little did Morty know that Harold had followed after his friend to see if he was alright. Morty was surprised when he looked up and spotted Harold in the mirror behind him.

"Dude, seriously. Are you alright? You've been acting pretty strange ever since you came back. You can tell us if something's wrong, y'know. We've all been outcasts in one way or another, so whatever you're going through, I'm sure we could help if you'd let us." Well. What better time to tell his pals his big secret than when standing in the middle of the restroom? He knew that out of all of them, Harold would be the most understanding. He was the one who originally introduced him to the rest of the gang, after all. Taking a deep breath, Morty decided it was now or never.

"Um, do you remember how I kinda bombed that test in Mr. Goldenfold's class the other day?" Harold looked a bit confused about where the conversation was heading, but nodded. "Well my granpa, who's like a crazy scientist, sorta made this little contraption that let us enter Mr. Goldenfold's… dreams? He was trying to get him to give me an A or something, and then when we got back my dog was trying to take over the world. Snuffles ended up leaving to another planet with some other dogs though, so he's not technically dead? Just on another planet."

Morty held his breath and nervously wrung his hands together. This was it. Would Harold point and laugh or think he was nuts and run away. He couldn't get a good read on the other teen's blank face. He swore they must have stood there for more than ten minutes before Harold spoke up again, even though it was probably only ten seconds.

"Oh my god…" Morty cringed. Aw geez, here it came! "That's the coolest thing I've ever heard! Why didn't you tell us any sooner what adventures you went on with your grandfather? I bet you've seen all sorts of cool aliens and planets! Dude, you have got to tell the others!" Morty let out a sigh of relief.

"A-are you sure? They won't think I'm nuts or something?"

"Of course not! Morty, we're friends now, and I know there's no way you'd lie to us, at least not about something like this." Harold smiled reassuringly. "I'll see you at lunch, Morty. And bring some more of those awesome stories!" Harold pat Morty on the shoulder before heading back out into the hall. Morty gave one last look at the mirror before he himself head off to class.

At lunch, Morty discovered that Harold had kept their conversation a secret from the rest of their friends, choosing instead to wait and see if Morty was comfortable with sharing the whole thing. Morty sucked it up and decided to share his secret with the whole gang, relaying the entire story he had told Harold again. Dawn looked a bit worried, but of what Morty was unsure. Zoey was practically beaming the entire time, elbows propped up on the table. Sam interrupted every so often to ask about a few details such as how exactly Rick had managed to build such devices. Noah seemed to be intrigued, and Morty was grateful for the lack of any sarcastic or cynical remarks. Cody seemed to be intrigued as well, continuously trying to get Morty to reveal what he saw in the dreams. Thinking back, Morty shuddered. He'd rather not talk about all of the creepy stuff he saw, especially about Summer, so he left the details as vague as he possibly could without lying.

The entire time Harold kept a reassuring look on his face, trying his best to be there for his friend. Morty was grateful for his support, regardless. He didn't know what he'd do without a friend like Harold there to support him even if he was a bit unused to the feeling.

When he was done telling his story, as well as the one behind the doodles that they had all complimented on that first day, he was immediately bombarded with questions. Morty was just so glad that they all believed him, so he happily answered any and all of their questions. The conversation about his adventures seemed to last the entire span of the lunch period, but Morty couldn't help but notice not only Dawn's lasting concern, but Harold's occasional distracted glance. He figured he could catch Dawn after lunch to see what was up, but he'd have to text Harold later.

He tried to follow the redhead's gaze, but couldn't quite tell who he was looking at. He'd done it during lunch before, and Morty was pretty sure by now that he was looking at one of the girls at another table. While he knew his friends and a few of the other older kids in his classes, he wasn't exactly familiar with this particular girl's name, nor any of her friends' names. Did Harold have a crush on someone, too? Morty knew it was pretty hypocritical of him to think that he should just talk to the girl already, especially since he'd been sitting right across from Zoey every day and never said anything to her.

He leaned over toward Harold and nudged his shoulder. All of the others at the table were still talking to one another about aliens and travelling to other planets, so he knew none of them would really be listening in on his conversation.

"Who is she?"

"Who is she? That's Leshawna! She's only the most beautiful girl in the world! Aw man, what I would give to just talk to her…" Harold sighed.

"Well, why don't you? Just talk to her, I mean… She's right there, you could just go over and say hi, right?" Morty didn't know if he was actually giving good advice since he himself had been pretty bad at the whole socializing thing up until recently. Harold did seem to approve of his advice though, nodding sagely before a determined look crossed his face.

"You're right, man. Thanks a lot for the advice!" Morty was shocked when Harold just stood up and walked over there. The others at the table noticed, too, quieting their conversation to try and listen in on what was going on. It was difficult to hear over the conversation in the cafeteria, but Harold hadn't come back over yet, and the girl he was talking to, Leshawna, was smiling and talking with him. Morty silently bid Harold good luck with whatever he was doing and tried to encourage the group back into discussion so that Harold could have a bit of privacy. He was positive the other teen wouldn't want his friends trying to listen in on his conversation.

Morty was pretty impressed with Harold's courage. He would never be able to just get up and go talk to a girl like that, especially in front of so many people! Morty was too afraid that they'd laugh or think he was just some geeky kid. He'd have to ask Harold for some pointers sometime.

After lunch Morty made sure he caught up with Dawn at her locker.

"Hey, Dawn. You, um, looked pretty upset at lunch today. Was it my story?"

"Oh Morty, of course not!" Dawn shut her locker and turned to face the younger teen. "You've just been so stressed lately, and I'm worried that these adventures with your grandfather are going to be dangerous for you. I'm just worried." Morty blushed at the thought of Dawn being worried about his safety and well-being. His own mother hadn't ever really been this concerned, focused more on his grades rather than his mental health.

"it's fine, Dawn, I promise. Thanks for looking out for me though! I really appreciate it." Morty gave Dawn a quick hug before heading off to class. He wondered if Kitty had the same concerns. She obviously saw that his adventures with his grandpa stressed him out, and she had seen how Rick could be sometimes. He knew he'd have to talk to her about it during class, and he hoped he'd be able to calm her worries until he could get the chance to tell her the whole story in private during their next study session.

The look on Kitty's face when he walked into the classroom confirmed what he had thought she was feeling. When they got the chance to speak to one another, he quietly tried to let her know that he was okay and that Rick hadn't hurt him while driving him home last night.

"My grandpa's always like that. That's just Rick! I promise I'm alright, Kitty. See, I'm in one piece!" He held his arms out, getting a laugh from Kitty.

"Alright, alright, but you were still a little jittery last night. I just want to make sure you're alright. Oh, and if it helps any my parents were just worried for your safety. They weren't upset with you or anything." Morty had to admit that that did make him feel a bit better.

"Thank god! I was worried they'd think I was a weirdo or something," he nervously chuckled. "I'll tell you more during our next study session, okay? It's just such an unbelievable story, I don't want anyone else to hear it." Morty motioned to the other students around them. Kitty nodded in understanding, relieved that Morty was indeed alright.

"That's good. I had a nice time last night, maybe next time you can come over earlier and have dinner with us?" Morty blushed at the idea. He didn't want to embarrass himself in front of Kitty's family anymore, but the thought of having a nice dinner with them was enticing. Besides, he'd never pass up the chance to hang out with Kitty a bit more.

"Sure! And next time I'll see if my dad can drive me instead. Sorry, again, about my grandpa." Kitty placed a reassuring hand on top of Morty's before going back to the experiment. Morty swore his breath had stopped, and he forced himself to stare down at his notes rather than gaze at Kitty. Aw geez. Why was high school so confusing?

He knew he had a crush on Zoey, but he was having trouble figuring out how he felt about Kitty still. He knew that she was kind to him and he really enjoyed spending time with her. Maybe he'd ask if they could hang out sometime and do something other than look at textbooks? He contemplated asking his friend Cody for advice, but then he remembered Harold's warning that he gave really terrible advice and suggested the cheesiest pick-up lines. There was no way he could ask Noah, either. Noah occasionally made the off-hand mention of a girlfriend, but he never went into detail and Morty wondered if perhaps they were trying to keep the thing a secret. Asking one of the girls would just be too embarrassing, and he was certain Sam was single, so Harold it was then. He'd just have to ask the teen about it when he asked about the whole self-confidence thing.

At the end of the day, a block of time was set aside for club sign-ups. Harold made one last attempt to get Morty to join band, but he once again declined. Morty looked around for one of his other friends, and spotted Zoey standing by another room. Morty smiled and waved to get her attention as he head over.

"Hi Morty! Have you decided what club to join yet?"

"Not yet. I was sorta hoping to join the Library club, but the room looks pretty filled."

"Really? I was going to join too, but you're totally right! C'mon, I think Cody is still looking for a club. Let's see what he thinks!" Zoey grinned and grabbed Morty's arm before pulling down the hall in another direction. They eventually ran into Cody, taking his time to look at all of the different clubs

"Have you seen any cool ones, yet?" Morty asked him.

"Hmm, I'm thinking about joining the art club. I know some of the kids in it, but I'm not sure, it sounds kinda lame. You're into the art stuff though, right Morty? At least we'll get to hang out more."

"Uh, i-it's not lame. Just give it a try, I'm sure it'll be fun!" Morty tried to convince him.

"Sure, I guess you're right. I'll give it a try for now," Cody put on his typical "cool guy" façade and tried to appear disinterested in the topic. Morty just shook his head, knowing that his friend would enjoy himself in the club.

"Awesome, then let's go!" Zoey excitedly grabbed onto Cody's arm as well and dragged the two teens into the art room. Morty thought he recognized some of the other kids in the club, especially one of the older teens with blue in her hair. That's right, she was one of the girls in his study hall! She was always doodling in the margins of her notes like he did, and the two had occasionally spoken about their artwork before.

Gwen looked up from her table of friends and waved to Morty. Morty waved back, glad that he knew a few of the people in the club just in case Cody or Zoey couldn't make it.

"You know her!?" Cody furiously whispered from behind him. Morty turned around, raising a brow in confusion.

"Um, yeah? Why? Don't you guys know each other, too? You're in the same grade."

"What? O-of course we know each other! It's just… well… Do you think you could do me a favor and ask her something for me?"

"Why don't you ask her yourself?"

"She thinks I'm annoying. I've tried all my best lines on her, and I've never gotten a straight answer. Could you ask her if she likes me? Please, man! I'll owe you big time for this!" Morty was a bit hesitant to just approach Gwen with such a question, but he agreed to help his friend out. He slowly walked over to Gwen's table, glancing back at Cody one last time. The other teen ducked behind Zoey, eyes nervously darting between Morty and Gwen.

"U-um, hey Gwen."

"Oh, hey Morty! I'm glad you decided to join the club, I knew you'd love it!" Gwen smiled up at him before looking over his shoulder toward his other friends. "They your friends?"

"Y-yeah, about that. This going to sound totally weird, but Cody had a question and he was too embarrassed to ask you himself." Gwen rolled her eyes but urged Morty to continue. "Well, aw geez, he just wanted to know if you…liked him?"

"Aw, Morty. You're a sweet kid for asking for him, but my answer is still no. I'm cool with being friends though if he has the courage to come over here and talk to me himself. Just tell him no more of those terrible pick-up lines. He's just not my type, sorry."

"Yeah, his pick-up lines are pretty terrible. I'll let him know. And Gwen? Thanks. I'm sure he'll appreciate being let down gently." Gwen nodded in understanding and Morty walked back over to his friends. He offered Cody a remorseful smile and pat his shoulder.

"Sorry, pal. She says you're just not her type, but if you want to hang out with her, like as friends, you're welcome to. Oh, and no more pick-up lines! They're way too cheesy." Cody at first seemed downtrodden, but when Morty explained that Gwen was willing to try and be friends with him, he immediately perked up.

"Really? She said that? Wow, guess I'll be seeing you two around then, huh? Thanks again, man!" Cody bid his friends goodbye and went to sit with Gwen and her other friends. Morty was secretly proud that Cody had been mature about the whole thing rather than just brushing it off to save his image. He was also glad that now he had some one-on-one time with Zoey.

He spent the next hour talking and laughing with Zoey. He tried to show her how to draw some of the aliens he had seen. She caught on very quickly, and Morty was surprised to see that she too enjoyed drawing. She pulled a drawing pad from her bag that was filled with drawings of flowers and different kinds of animals. Eventually, Gwen and Cody came over to their table to see what they were up to. Gwen even asked Zoey if maybe she could help her design a new tattoo. Morty had to admit, he was very glad that he had decided to join this club.

On his way out of school that afternoon, Morty tried to see if he could catch any of his other friends on the way out to see what they had joined. He spotted Sam heading into the parking lot, but there was a smaller blond girl with him. Morty squinted to see if he recognized her, but they were just too far away. Odd. Hopefully Sam would be introducing them sometime! He unfortunately didn't get the chance to meet up with any of his friends as Summer came up from behind him and dragged him off down the bus pad.

"C'mon Morty! I'm not going to be late getting home because you want to play with your friends." Morty just stuck his tongue out behind her back. He couldn't wait to just be back in class with his friends again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the second chapter of this story. It has been about a week between the first chapter and second chapter, after the episode "Lawnmower Dog". In this chapter, I wanted to put the stoplight on Kitty for the first part, showing her friends and family. Also I made Kitty family a foil to Morty family. Morty's family is very dysfunctional, while Kitty comes from a very functional family. The second part is to foreshadow some later plots in my story like the Noah and Emma relationship, Morty's little crush on Zoey, Morty's rivalry with Duncan and Courtney, Dawn's concern that the adventures Morty on is more for traumatizing then he let on, Harold's crush on Leshawna, Cody's crush on Gwen and finally Sam's secret girlfriend (here's a hint, she's a canon character).


	3. The Plans of Malls and Men?

Morty looked out of the car window as his grandpa, Rick, drove him over to the mall. He tried to pay attention to Rick's babbling, something about some alien species seeking out new planets to colonize in the local systems, but he couldn't keep up with half of what he was saying. While Morty did enjoy their adventures, most of the time, Rick didn't always remember to dumb down his vocabulary so that Morty could understand what was happening before it, well, happened. Morty instead watched the trees and passing cars as they drove along. If there was going to be an invasion of some kind, everyone else sure seemed oblivious to it. Morty supposed that was normal. Rick usually stepped in and handled things before Earth could even figure out what the hell was going on.

Morty glanced over at his grandpa and noticed that Rick's eyes were more clear and alert than they normally were. Rick's eyes were rarely that sharp, so Morty could at least surmise that whatever was going to happen was important and that it was probably happening soon. Morty also noted that his grandfather didn't reek of alcohol as much as he usually did. Rick was still driving him to meet up with his friends at the mall though, so the maybe the threat wasn't that immediate? Morty couldn't tell whether he should be worried or not, so he instead tried to take his mind off of the whole thing.

Rick never offered to drive Morty anywhere like he had today, usually choosing instead to try and pass the responsibility off onto his parents or Summer now that she was driving. Secretly, he was glad that it was Rick bringing him to meet up with his friends. His parents would ask too many invasive questions about who he was meeting up with, and Summer would probably tease him. Rick had a bit of an abrasive personality, and he wasn't afraid of speaking his mind, but at least he didn't treat Morty like a kid.

He briefly thought that maybe Rick was trying to make up for his poor first impression on Kitty and her family, but he immediately dismissed the possibility. Rick didn't give a shit about what others thought of him, and Morty wasn't even sure Rick remembered the whole thing. Morty looked down at his own clothes, his usual yellow t-shirt and jeans, and immediately wondered why he hadn't bothered to wear something a little different. His clothes were a bit plain, but they were comfortable and easier to grab since there was no need to try and get things to match. Maybe he'd pick up a few new shirts today so that his closet would be a bit more diverse and people wouldn't think he always wore the same outfit.

"Morty!" His grandpa's shout broke his train of thought, and Morty had to fight his initial urge to jump at the sudden noise. He turned around to look at Rick, surprised to see how serious his face appeared. "L-listen *urp*. You need to take this with you, Morty. You gotta – you gotta stay alert, keep an eye out for anything strange. Those guys I was talking about *urp* earlier? Those assholes will definitely be coming to Earth. Do you understand, Morty? You gotta be ready," Morty looked down at the gun-like object Rick was passing over to him.

"Aw geez, Rick. I-I don't know. I don't think I should just carry that around, y'know?"

"Hmm, you're right. Y-you'd probably just *urp* shoot yourself anyway. You just play with your friends and let y-your *urp* grandpa Rick handle this." Rick tucked the gun under his lab-coat and turned back toward the road again. Morty was grateful for his grandpa's concern, but he knew walking around with a laser gun probably wasn't the best idea. Where would he even put it?

Rick pulled up to the mall, swerving hazardously into a parking space. Morty thanked Rick for the ride before heading in to meet up with his friends. He heard Rick remind him to once again watch his back before tearing out of the parking lot, tires screeching and leaving black marks on the tar. Morty briefly looked up at the sky, but everything seemed pretty normal to him. Obviously Rick had either scoped out their possible invaders and picked up some sort of transmission, or he had already plotted out their path and discovered Earth was the next logical target. Morty just hoped that whatever was going to happen would happen someplace else in the world, or that it would happen after he got the chance to hang out with his friends. Couldn't this invasion have waited one more day?

Morty shuffled into the mall through the large rotating doors. He ambled over to one of the large maps to look for where the food-quart was located, a bit embarrassed that he couldn't remember. It had been a very long time since he'd been here. After finding the location, he headed toward the food-court to meet up with Harold and the others. The mall wasn't too big, so he thankfully didn't run into too many other people on his way over. He glanced into a few windows on his way, seeing what new shops had opened up lately.

Morty himself almost never came to the mall. Summer was usually the one who'd come here to hang out with her girlfriends and chat about… girl things. She loved shopping and trying on all sorts of new clothing with her friends. Morty only ever came along if his mom made Summer take him, which had only actually happened once, and not without argument from his older sister. The only other time he'd come here was if he came with his mom to run some errands. Window shopping for clothes just wasn't really his thing.

However, there was a cool little comic book store tucked away in the corner of the mall that he enjoyed coming to. On the rare trip he made, Morty would always seek out the comic shop to stock up on new reading material. He had brought extra cash with him today just in case he found something he really liked. There were a few sci-fi series that he had been reading since his last trip, and he was looking forward to getting the next few issues in the series.

Morty briefly wondered if any of his other friends were into comics, too. The worry that maybe they'd think he was a nerd briefly crossed his mind, but then he remembered how they had all thought his stories about his adventures were so cool. They hadn't thought any less of him then, so why would they start now? Morty knew he should never doubt that his friends liked him, but after so many years without any others, it was difficult to feel any other way about it.

Stepping into the food-court, Morty was immediately met with the noise of the Saturday morning crowd. Groups of teens sat huddled together at a few of the tables, bent over their phones and speaking animatedly to one another. Next to them, mothers bounced their children on their knees and little grandmas nibbled at their food. It didn't take Morty long to spot Zoey and Harold's bright red hair across the room, and the myriad of teens at the table surrounding them.

Cody and Noah were leaning over Sam's shoulders, laughing at something he had on his phone. Cody was wearing a plaid button down and a pair of weathered jeans. Noah was wearing a tan t-shirt with an odd design on it and a pair of slim-fitting jeans. Sam appeared to be in his usual striped shirt and shorts.

Across from them, Harold and Zoey were sharing a large thing of fries and talking about something that Morty couldn't quite hear. Whatever it was, Harold seemed to be doing most of the talking, wildly swinging his hands around and squirming in his seat. His face was beaming, and Morty wondered what he was so excited about. Zoey looked a bit confused, but she seemed to be listening and chiming in when needed. Clearly she was just happy to see her friend so happy. Harold was wearing a t-shirt plastered with a band logo, and Zoey was wearing a floral print tank-top.

Next to them, Dawn was twiddling with something in her hands. Her long blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun, and she was wearing a yellow spring dress. As he got a little closer, Morty saw that it was some flowers that she was tying into a circle. Was it a necklace? He'd never seen something like that before. Whatever it was, Dawn seemed to be happy with how it was coming along. She was quietly humming some song Morty didn't recognize, and she was gently swinging her feet back and forth beneath the table. A small content smile sat upon her face.

"Hey, Morty! How've you been? Come over here and sit with the guys and I!" Sam was actually the first to notice him, passing his phone off to Cody and moving over to offer Morty a seat. Morty made to move forward, but he hesitated. He wasn't sure if he was comfortable sitting right in the middle of the group yet. He was still uncomfortable when everyone's attention was turned on him, so he thought he should probably avoid being directly in the center of such a large group. Seeing his discomfort, Dawn offered him a seat beside her instead.

"Sit here, Morty. I wanted to talk to you a bit more anyway. Besides, you boys can talk later while Zoey and I get a bit of shopping in." she playfully winked over at the other teen before reaching out and gently holding Morty's wrist. She guided Morty down into the chair next to her before turning her face back down to the flowers in her lap. Morty gratefully sat down next to her, and Sam quickly returned to what he was doing on his phone.

"Here, I made this for you." Dawn held out the finished ring of tiny flowers. Morty again hesitated, still not sure about what it was and how he was supposed to wear it. Sensing his confusion, Dawn just smiled up at him and quickly deposited the ring atop his head. Morty blushed, a bit embarrassed about the whole thing. Wasn't this a bit… girly? This was something his sister would be into, but he wasn't sure if he himself really liked it. It was a gift though, so he offered a shy smile and quickly thanked her. Maybe he could find someplace at home that he could set it down or hang it up.

"I know that you've been pretty stressed lately, Morty, so please accept this gift. I want you to know that you can talk to me whenever you need it; I'm here for you." She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. Morty blinked his eyes a few times, trying not to get too teary eyed. There was no way he'd cry in front of all of his friends, especially sitting there in the middle of the mall. He'd never be able to show his face in public again! He felt, however, that if he ever did need to cry a bit, Dawn would be there to lend him a shoulder, and that was a comforting thought.

Morty was suddenly struck by just how lucky he was to have met such a great group of kids that he could call his friends. These guys clearly understood him better than anyone else had before. They could tell when he was troubled, and rather than rub it in like his sister might, or brush it off like his parents, they asked him if he was okay and if there was anything they could do to help ease his troubles. They listened. Instead of laughing at his awkward ticks and stuttering speech, they made every effort to make him comfortable and feel like one of the them. Morty just wished he had met such an amazing group of people earlier in his life and not a few years before he'd be leaving this small town for college.

"Would it be alright if I called later this weekend? I-if it's not too much trouble, of course!"

"Sure! Let me just give you my number," Dawn dug around in her purse for a pen and scribbled her number down on a napkin. Morty was glad that she didn't ask too many questions, or pry into his reasoning for wanting to call her. Part of him suspected that she could probably tell without needing to ask him. He wanted desperately to just let off some steam and vent a bit, and he knew that out of all the teens sitting at this table, Dawn would be the easiest to confide in. Not only had the past few weeks with Rick been stressful, but whatever was going to happen today was probably going to be even worse.

Did any of the other teens at the table have this much trouble with their family life? He thought that he had a pretty normal family, at least until he met Kitty's. She didn't have any weird grandpas living with her, and her sister was so kind and loving. Even her parents seemed to care about her and what she got up to. The revelation had really gotten him down, but he never got the chance to really talk about it with anyone.

Morty shook his head. He needed to stop thinking so negatively or he'd just get himself worked up and feeling down all day. He instead tried to focus on all of the other teens at the table. Dawn was starting another one of those flower… things. Flower crowns? He was about to ask her to clarify what exactly they were, but Harold had spotted him over Zoey's shoulder and gave him a nod in greeting. Zoey turned to look over her shoulder to give him a quick "hey Morty!" before turning back to Harold.

Now that he'd sat down at the table, Morty could hear their conversation a bit better. Apparently, Harold had just discovered this great new game online, and he was telling Zoey all about it. It seemed to be fantasy based, and the story did sound pretty interesting. Morty didn't play videogames very often, but he wondered if maybe he should give this one a try. If he was lucky, he'd be able to convince Rick to let him play it on one of his fancy computers. He'd just have to save up enough to buy it himself. There was just no way his parents would buy him something like this, and Rick would probably just complain about the game being subpar to his own technologies.

"Hey, check this out! This video is great," Sam exclaimed, reaching across the table to show Morty his phone. So this is what they'd all been laughing at earlier! Morty eagerly leaned over to watch as the video played out on the tiny screen. It was a bizarre comedy skit from a late night tv show, some cliché sounding skit, but Morty still thought it was pretty funny. Sam flipped through a few more similar videos, and, without noticing, Cody and Noah slowly moved over to Morty's side of the table to watch the videos as well.

Morty was so engrossed in what he was watching; he didn't even notice that they'd come around behind him until Cody let out a sharp laugh. Dawn peered over and grinned at the three teens, glad that Morty was slowly becoming more comfortable around them all. She had worried about the awkward teen quite a bit in the beginning after she had first been introduced to him at lunch. He didn't seem to have many friends, at least none that she could remember, and he always looked… troubled. On that day she had made a made a vow to herself that she would try and help her new friend find inner peace, and she eagerly awaited his phone call so that she could see what had been bothering him for so long. She just couldn't bring herself to let a friend suffer if there was anything she could do about it!

"Alright, you guys ready to head out?" Zoey's loud cheerful voice interrupted after Harold had finished telling her about his newfound obsession. The rest of the teens nodded, deciding that they had sat in place for long enough. Morty was glad as well, ready to get up and walk around a bit more. The last of the fries were passed around the table until they were gone, and Morty politely offered to toss all of the trash out on their way through. Harold hung back with him and slung an arm around Morty's shoulders.

"Anywhere in particular you'd like to check out today, Morty?" Harold raised a hand to adjust his glasses, finger quickly pushing them up the bridge of his nose.

"U-um, the comic shop? There are a few new issues I was looking for."

"Really? That's perfect! The comic shop is right near the GameStop, and I know a few of the guys were looking for some new games to try out. Sam's offer still stands, y'know. You should come hang out with us and play sometime. He's got plenty of multiplayers, so one of them should definitely appeal to you, yeah? Oh! Or you could make an account and play online with us?" Morty remembered Sam's earlier offer, but he could never bring himself to take the teen up on his invitation. He was just way to nervous. How would he even bring it up? And what if Rick showed up and weirded them all out? Gaming online seemed like the safer of the two options.

"I'd rather, um, play online I think. That way I won't have to bug my parents to drive me somewhere." Not a total lie, at least.

"Awesome! I'll text you the link later tonight. What type of comics do you read? I bet you're really into sci-fi, amiright? I myself am a fan of Marvel, especially Iron Fist!" Harold grinned down at the shorter teen, swinging his arm down in a karate chop and striking a pose. Morty quickly covered his mouth to try and muffle his laughter, but Harold just laughed along with him.

"U-um. Aw geez, I guess I read a lot of different series, but sci-fi is definitely m-my favorite. I just started reading this cool series called Tokyo Ghoul? I could lend you the first issue if you want to give it a try?"

"Yeah man, sure! How about you bring it in to class on Monday. What's it about?" Morty nodded up at the redhead. He gave Harold a quick summary of the series, leaving out any major spoilers. "How about I give you one of my comics and we can trade for the week. I've got some pretty interesting ones that I think you'd really like." Morty thought that would be an interesting idea, so he agreed.

Ahead of them, Zoey seemed to be taken with something in one of the shop windows, a colorful little tank-top, so the group followed her inside. Morty glanced around at all of the clothing and home goods surrounding him, internally cringing a bit. Yeah, this was definitely not his type of store. He poked around a few t-shirts, but nothing really stood out to him here. They were all rather plain and reminded him of his own boring yellow shirts. Zoey and Dawn had wondered off to go look at something. Shoes? Clothes? Morty wasn't really sure, but he wished that whatever it was they wouldn't take too long.

He looked around to see what everyone else was up to. He spotted Noah sitting on a bench by the exit, his face a mask of disinterest and indifference. Cody was standing nearby, browsing through a stand of sunglasses. He tried each pair on, glancing into a nearby mirror and making strange faces. He flexed his arms and Morty had to chuckle at him checking himself out. A flash went off, and Morty realized that Noah had snapped a picture. Cody's head whipped around in the other teen's direction, his cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment. Noah cracked a joke about the situation, but Cody shook his head and brushed it off, turning to gran another pair of sunglasses off of the stand.

He found Sam collecting a few new shirts to try on, as well as a few pairs of comfortable looking shorts. Morty looked around at the shirts as well, but the button downs and nice sweaters just weren't his style.

"Hey, Morty! Want to come with Noah, Cody, and I next door? We're gonna check out the GameStop while the girls spend some more time here." Harold offered from behind him.

"What? Aw, guys wait for me! I'll be right there!" Sam quickly gathered up a few articles of clothing before heading up to the registers in the front.

"Hahaha man don't worry. We aren't just gonna ditch you guys in here! Meet up with us outside when you're done checking out." Harold pat Sam on the shoulder before heading out of the shop. Morty heard Noah let out a groan of "ugh, finally!" before he and Cody trailed out after Harold.

"U-um, you guys go ahead! I'm gonna wait with Sam and catch up!"

"Really? Thanks man. I appreciate it." Sam thanked, grateful for the company. Morty grinned up at his friend and wrong his hands together. Aw geez, what could he say now? Morty was so bad at making small talk! Maybe he could ask about the girl he was with the other day? No, that was probably too personal…

Morty looked around to see if he could spot something to help him out. Sam seemed quite content to just stand there quietly ad wait for his turn at the register, so maybe he'd just do the same? It only took a minute before Morty started fidgeting in place again.

"U-um, hey, Sam? What game were you looking for today?" aw geez. Morty really hoped that that didn't sound too lame, but when he looked up to see Sam's bright face, he was relieved to see that he had piqued the other teen's interest. Sam went on to explain some new game that had come out recently for the PlayStation. Morty vaguely remembered seeing a few commercial for it, but he didn't have any console to play on. By the time Sam had finished explaining the whole premise of the game, they had reached the counter and he had paid for his items.

The two teens walked back out into the main hall and met up with the others again. Noah was leaning up against the wall, munching on a soft pretzel that he had gotten while they were standing in line. Harold and Cody stood up from the bench they were sitting on and followed Sam and Morty into the GameStop. Morty looked around at all of the different products, amazed at how much they squeezed into such a tiny shop. He couldn't really play any of these, stuck with just a PC and whatever the virtual reality Rick could conjure up. A triumphant cheer from across the store let him know that Sam had located what he was looking for. Harold hadn't picked anything up himself, most likely holding onto his money for some new comics as well. Noah and Cody both had a few cases in their arms of various games for various platforms. By the time they were finished up, Dawn and Zoey had re-joined them. A few dainty bags dangled from their arms, and Zoey was wearing a new sun hat.

"Where'd you get the pretzel, Noah?" Zoey asked the brunette.

"Uh, where do you think?" Noah sarcastically replied. Zoey grinned and reached out to pinch his arm. "Ow! Alright, alright. I got it over there," he pointed over at a little food stand, hidden behind a kiosk covered in phone cases.

"Thanks, Noah~" Zoey pat his cheek and head over to the stand to buy herself a snack. Dawn smiled at her friends' antics, and Morty rubbed his arm in sympathy. He knew they were just teasing, but he also knew that Zoey was a lot stronger than she appeared.

"C'mon, Morty, let's go!" Harold nudged Morty's shoulder before passing him and heading into the comic shop. Morty looked behind him to see that Sam had joined Zoey at the pretzel stand, but Dawn, Cody, and even Noah were all following them in. Morty grinned, secretly glad that he wasn't the only geek in the group, even if some of them wouldn't admit it out loud.

The comic shop was nice and small, and it was never overcrowded and packed with people. Just the way Morty liked it. An old classic rock station quietly played from a radio sitting on the front counter, and the walls were covered in all sorts of posters from different movies and comic books. The man at the counter looked up and gave the new shoppers a wave and a polite "hello" before looking back down at his work. Morty browsed through the rows before spotting a familiar cover. There they were! He'd missed a few weeks of new issues… a few months, actually, but they were in stock today! Feeling like this was his lucky day, Morty quickly grabbed the few missing issues, quickly flipping through them to get a sneak peek.

Morty was about to head over to the counter and pay when he heard an ominous rumble. He was about to dismiss it as his imagination playing tricks, but when the building suddenly quaked beneath his feet, Morty was immediately on the offense. Was this it? Was an invasion seriously going to happen? Today!? A startled shout from the back was his only warning before things started flying off the shelves. Morty quickly yanked Cody back before a shelf fell and knocked into him.

"Q-quick! Everyone outside!" The man behind the counter called out. The alarms in the building suddenly turned on, sprinklers quickly soaking the shop and everyone in it.

"Aw man! You've got to be kidding me!" Noah grunted in frustration, grabbing a comic and holding it above his head.

"A-are you okay?" Morty asked Cody.

"Y-yeah. Thanks for the save, man." The other teen looked shaken but otherwise unharmed.

"What was that?" Harold asked, carefully stepping around some fallen merchandise to regroup with his friends.

"I-I think I know, and it's not good. Aw geez, we need to get out of here!" Morty quickly ushered his friends back out into the main hall, and they were immediately met with what could best be described as chaos. A section of the roof was missing, and through it Morty could spot strange ships flying around overhead. Looking closer, it appeared to have been ripped off rather than collapsed.

"Zoey! Sam!" Morty called out, hoping that his voice could be heard over the alarms and everyone's panicked screaming.

"Over hear, guys!" Morty looked around for the source of the voice and spotted his other two friends ducked underneath one of the benches. He ran over and helped the two of them to their feet, their shopping bags laying on the ground, forgotten. Morty looked around for the exit, but was interrupted when another clash shook the earth beneath them.

"What the hell is happening? Morty?" Zoey cried. Morty turned toward his friends and saw that they were all looking to him for answers.

"U-um… Aliens may or may not be trying to invade our planet right now. Don't worry, though. I-I'm sure someone's taking care of it…"

"We gotta get out of here!" Harold urged, pushing his friends down the hall towards the exit. The other teens all nodded their heads in agreement, following the redhead out. Morty noticed that Sam couldn't quite keep up with their quickened pace, especially with all of the stuff littering the ground. Morty hung back to keep up with him and offered a shoulder to lean on. He would try and fix this later, but right now he needed to focus on getting his friends out to safety.

The exit was in sight, people anxiously shoving each other out of the way to be the first ones out. Harold let out a victorious whoop when they all made it out of the collapsing building.

"This way! We can use my car!" He called, jogging out into the parking lot. Morty was about to follow, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. He turned around to see his grandpa standing there, swaying back and forth on unsteady feet.

"Morty! T-there you *urp* are! I've been lookin all over for you!" By this point the others had stopped and turned to see what the holdup was.

"Aw geez, Rick. I'm sorry I didn't l-listen." Morty rubbed anxiously at his arm, eyes looking anywhere other than his friends.

"It doesn't- it doesn't m*urp*matter. Here," Rick once again shoved a laser gun into his hands. "We gotta go up there and shoot as many of those fuckers as *urp* possible. Do you understand?" Morty grasped the gun in his hands, completely focused on the task at hand now.

"Y-yes, I got it."

"Good. When I give you the *urp* signal, you gotta lead them back into the mall and I'll take care of them. We gotta-we gotta trap them and then we can finish them." Ricked whipped a hand across his mouth before smacking Morty on the back "Go fuck them up!" He then stumbled away, nearly tripping over a downed shopping cart.

"Who was that!?" Cody exclaimed from behind him. Aw geez, not again! Why did Rick always make just weird first impressions on his friends?

"U-um, that was my grandpa Rick. Y'know, the one I go on… crazy adventures with?" Morty could feel his nerves returning the longer his friends gaped at him, but he shook his head to clear his thoughts. He had to stay focused and try to help Rick stop this invasion before anyone else was seriously injured!

"Dude, that's…awesome! You get to shoot aliens?" Sam exclaimed.

"You gotta let us help!" Harold pleaded, unwilling to let Morty go about this on his own.

"What? No way! I've done way more dangerous things before, and I can't let you guys get hurt!" Morty's voice left no room for argument as he decided to firmly stand his ground. "Maybe another time, okay? But you guys have no idea what's going on right now. I'm sorry."

"Just… Just stay safe, alright? Please text us when this is over so we know you're okay," Dawn begged. The blond sounded close to tears, and Morty almost felt guilty enough to let them come along. He muttered one last apology before turning and leaving the group of friends standing in the parking lot. Morty cast one last regretful glance over his shoulder and watched has Harold ushered everyone into his car and drove them out of harm's way. Morty was glad that they would be safe, but he knew that if he didn't act quickly, they'd all be in danger.

Morty ran back into the mall and began shooting at any of the aliens who had wormed their way in through the broken rooftop. He still felt a twinge of remorse whenever he took a life, but he knew that this would become a normal part of his life as long as he and Rick were going out on adventures together. He tried not to think about the aliens too hard, tried not to think about whether or not they had families, if they died in agony. Instead, he tried fiercely to think about those he was trying to protect and about those who the aliens had already killed. Surely they wouldn't feel as remorseful as he did?

Morty ran through the building and toward the stairwell, clearing out as many aliens as he could. Their faces were grotesquely misshapen, and they barely resembled anything even remotely human. Morty guessed that that was the only thing that kept him from breaking down right then and there.

He pushed open the door to the roof and began firing blindly into the sky. His cellphone buzzed to life in his pocket, and when he glanced down, Morty saw that it was a text from Rick. That was it! That was the signal! Morty looked back up at the incoming aliens and quickly head back inside. He spotted his grandpa standing outside the stairwell, waiting for him.

"A-alright, Morty. Here *urp* here we go!" Rick opened a portal behind his grandson and quickly shoved him through. Rick followed and pressed his thumb down on the detonator. Morty was shocked to see that they were back in his garage, completely unscathed. There was one last earth shaking bang in the distance, and then… silence. Rick grinned to himself and head over to his computers to check the scans. Success! He had managed to wipe out the entire small colony of invaders in one blow!

All Morty could think was that he was glad he and his friends had gotten to spend one last day at the mall together. There was always the mall in the next city over, he supposed.


	4. Walk like a Egyptian, Run like a Rick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Hello again here a new chapter. Im really proud of this chapter because this is the first adventure in my story. The idea for this chapter was made by my friend Rufus T. Serenity and written by ratchet the whambulance. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Morty idly stared up at the smooth white expanse of his ceiling. One of his legs hung off the edge of the bed, swinging back and forth to an imagined tune. Downstairs he could hear his mom yelling at someone on the phone. He guessed that it was probably someone from work based on her tone, but he couldn't be certain. He could also hear the radio in Summer's room blasting out some of today's top hits. His dad was most likely sitting in front of the T.V., and where exactly Rick was at was beyond him.

Speaking of Rick, these past few weeks had been… interesting to say the least. He had been forced to explain everything to his high school friends. He closed his eyes and thought back to the days following what they now called "The Incident". His friends had obviously all been extremely worried about his safety, and they were quite shocked about just how violent the situations he often wound up in were. He closed his eyes and thought back to his meeting with Dawn. She had originally asked him over to speak about how stressed he seemed, but their conversation had taken a different turn after recent events.

"Morty, I had no idea what you went through with your grandfather was so… so dangerous! What if you had gotten hurt, or what if you… Oh Morty, I've been seeing a lot of dark blues and greens in your aura lately, so I knew I knew you must have been struggling with something, but I didn't think it would be this bad." Dawn had sounded near hysterics. She wrung her shaking hands through her golden hair, and her eyes were watering. Morty knew nothing about auras or any of that other spiritual stuff Dawn seemed to love, but it was apparent that he wouldn't be able to lie about his emotions to her. Morty felt incredibly guilty and tried his best to console his friend.

"I-it's not so bad, and somebody has to do it, right?" He had cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder, still unsure of how to console others. He muttered a quiet 'aw geez' under his breath, already afraid that he might mess this up and make her feel worse. "Besides, not every adventure has that level of life or death. They can be pretty cool sometimes!" he then told her a bit about some of his less dangerous adventures with his grandpa, Rick.

"I-if you say so. Just promise me you'll stay safe, okay? And talk to me, Morty. Doing this type of thing can't be good for you, yeah? I'll be keeping an eye on your auras, and you should come to me if you ever need any advice for handling your emotions better." She rubbed at her eyes to stop any tears from falling before placing a comforting hand over Morty's. Morty blushed at the contact, but he was glad that he was able to calm Dawn's worries a bit. He'd never put much thought into his own health, and, quite frankly, neither did his family most of the time, so he was glad to have friends like Dawn who looked out for him.

Morty hadn't even thought that The Incident was actually that life threatening, but he knew that if he'd never been exposed to such things before, he would probably think it was dangerous as well. The mall had been completely destroyed in the span of a few minutes, and laser beams had been flying through the air as he and his grandpa traded shots with the invaders. Alien carcasses had littered the ground before Rick went back and rid the scene of evidence. His friends might have only watched from a distance, but to them it had to have seemed like a war zone. Morty could remember the first time he held a gun, how terrified he had been the first time he needed to use it, and while killing still bothered him, he'd become… numb to the situation.

Morty opened his eyes back to the white of his ceiling. After all of the worrying and fretting had been taken care of, his friends had even more questions for him. It was a bit stressful to be bombarded with so many questions at once, but Morty understood that if he were in their place, he would have behaved the same way. After all, it wasn't every day you saw aliens (real aliens!) show up and try to conquer the world.

He rolled over onto his side before slowly getting up out of bed. He was meeting up with Kitty again this afternoon, and he knew he had to get up and get ready to head out soon. He briefly wondered if Kitty knew what had happened to him at the mall. It had been all over the news and in the papers that week, but a lot of the specifics were left out thanks to Rick staging a fire. In the end, the whole thing had been blamed on a kitchen fire. Morty was glad for his grandpa's quick thinking in situations like this.

Morty shook his head as he rummaged through his closet. While digging through some of his t-shirts, he thought back to Harold's reaction about The Incident. Like Dawn, he had been troubled about Morty's safety and well-being. After he had been reassured that Morty was definitely unscathed, the conversation had taken a lighter turn. Harold had asked if they would ever get to join him on an adventure with Rick. Morty had had this conversation with them a few times before, but now they understood just how dangerous they could get. He looked at Harold's hopeful gaze and listened as he rambled on about how cool space must be, inserting a few Star Wars references and goofy sound effects.

Morty grinned. Harold was always good at lightening the mood, and that was something he desperately needed at the moment. He promised Harold that he would eventually let them come along, but he needed to wait for a less life-threatening adventure before he'd ask Rick if they could join. Rick would undoubtedly complain, and possibly even say no, at first, but Morty was sure that he could get his grandpa to warm up to the idea eventually.

Morty pulled on one of his favorite band tees, opting out of his usual yellow shirt this time. He slipped on his usual pair of blue jeans and laced up his sneakers. Walking down the hall, he carefully dodged Summer's room so that she wouldn't see him. She made it a habit recently to tease her younger brother about his new "girlfriend", and Morty was getting a bit sick of it. Honestly, why couldn't she just lay off and let him be? He certainly didn't bother her about anything.

Walking downstairs confirmed that his mom was indeed on the phone with work, and his dad was laying on the couch, his hands buried in a bag of chips. Morty figured that he could just walk to Kitty's house today rather than ask his family for a ride. He called out that he was leaving before grabbing the spare house key and heading out the door.

On his way, Morty briefly wondered if maybe he should pick up a snack or something to take to Kitty's. He decided that today would be the day he told her everything about Rick and about what had really happened at the mall. He didn't want to have to lie to her about any of it, especially since he knew she'd eventually find out one way or another. Aw geez, he only hoped that she'd be just as understanding and interested as his other friends. Would she believe him? Would she ask to come with him like Harold and the others had?

Morty nervously shoved his hands into his pockets. Hmm maybe he'd forgo the snacks. He didn't want to eat anything with his nerves this high. He looked down at his sneakers, keeping his eyes down and internally trying to calm himself. He only lifted his gaze when he knew he had finally reached Kitty's house. Well, here goes nothing!

He knocked gently on the front door, almost wishing that they wouldn't hear his hesitant knocking. He realized he wasn't so lucky as the door swung open to reveal a smiling Kitty. Her hair was pulled back into her signature pigtails, and she was wearing a loose t-shirt and shorts. Morty recognized the symbols on her shirt as something from a video game, but from which one he couldn't quite remember. Strange, he didn't know that she plaid video games? He'd have to ask her about it eventually, but right now he had more important things to tell her. He needed to focus!

"C'mon in, Morty!" Kitty reached out to give him a quick hug before pulling him inside. Her parents called out a cheery greeting from inside the kitchen where they were both chatting happily with one another. Her mom was standing at the sink cleaning the dishes from breakfast, and her dad sat at the table thumbing through a newspaper.

"How are you, Morty dear?" Her mom asked, setting the dish towel down on the countertop. At the table, her dad set down his paper to glance over at Morty as well.

"Oh, great! Thanks for asking."

"That's nice to hear. If you kids need anything, just let us know." Her dad added before Kitty lead him away from the kitchen.

"Emma's upstairs, so we can hang out down here if you'd like? I know we usually study and stuff, but I've got a totally great new movie that I just know you'd love!"

"U-um, maybe later? I'm sorry, but I've actually got to talk to you about something. I-is there somewhere more private that we can sit down and talk?" Kitty's smile briefly faltered, but she quickly brought the smile back and nodded her head.

"Y-yeah! We can go sit up in my bedroom again if you'd like? Is everything alright?" Her concern shined through in her voice, and Morty was once again left feeling guilty. Aw geez, why did he have to keep worrying his friends? At his shallow nod Kitty led him up the stairs and to her bedroom. Emma's door was closed, but Morty could still make out a quiet tune playing. She must have been studying again.

"Alright, spill. What's going on, Morty?" Kitty sat down at the foot of her bed, gently patting the spot beside her. Morty sat down, nervously glancing around her bedroom. This situation was familiar, yet he still couldn't think of the best place to start.

"O-okay, well, you've probably noticed how weird I've been acting recently?"

"That's one way to put, I guess, but yeah."

"Um, and you've heard about the mall being destroyed?" A nod. "Okay, this is going to sound totally insane, but hear me out. It wasn't a- a kitchen fire or whatever. It was actually… Um…aliens." He whispered the last part, so quiet he didn't even know if Kitty heard him. He wrung his hands together again, looking anywhere in the room but Kitty's eyes. After a long pause, Morty finally forced himself to look up.

Kitty's head was tilted to the left in a quizzical manner, and her eyebrows were drawn together in what Morty could only guess was utter confusion. Oh no, this is exactly what he was worried about! He would have to actually explain everything to try and get her to believe him, and he wasn't at all prepared to do this now!

"Y-you see, my grandfather? Y'know, that guy that showed up to pick me up that first weekend? Well, he's actually this crazy scientist who-" a quick rap on the window drew his attention away from what he was saying, but he must have been imagining that sound, right? Morty brushed it off and turned his attention back to Kitty "who goes into space and travels to different dimensions, and I know this all sounds totally unbelievable, but you gotta-" The quick rap was now a loud bang that made both teens jump.

"What the hell?" Morty leapt up to his feet and ran over to the window. Throwing the curtains open, both Morty and Kitty were surprised to see Rick hovering outside of the window wearing a jetpack. He was in his usual disheveled state, eyes unfocused and hair poking out in every direction. Kitty ran over beside Morty to help him open her window, allowing Rick to fly right in. "Grandpa!? What are you doing here, and why couldn't you use the front door!?" Morty was beyond mortified. Why did his grandpa have to just fly into his friend's bedroom like this!?

"L-listen *urp* Morty and, uh…you."

"It's Kitty!" Kitty crossed her arms and frowned at the taller man. Morty frowned, noticing that she was upset by the sudden appearance of his drunk grandfather in her room.

"Aw geez, I'm really sorry about this, Kitty." Morty quietly murmured to her.

"Sssh, stop talking, both of you! L-urp-listen, I fucked up, Morty. I fucked up big time." Rick stumbled over to his grandson, spindly fingers grabbing his t-shirt. "I-I *urp* might have pissed off the wrong guys, okay? H-here, take this." Rick shoved what looked like a fake I.D. into Morty's hands. "You gotta take this and we need to *urp* we need t-to get outta here a-and lie low for a while." Rick looked like he was going to say more, but a shift in the atmosphere cut him off. Looking over Rick's shoulder, Morty was shocked to see a cosmic rift opening up in the middle of Kitty's room! He didn't even have time to warn Rick before all three of them were sucked up.

"Ugh, what the hell?" Morty scrunched his eyes shut in pain, trying in vain to try and stop the ringing in his ears. His head was pounding and his stomach flipped uncomfortably. What happened? He'd just been sitting down and talking to Kitty when… when his grandpa had appeared. Morty groaned forcing his eyes open and looking around to try and find his grandpa and Kitty. Why was it that every time his grandpa showed up, some crazy shit had to happen? Why couldn't he be like any other drunk grandpa? And where had the cosmic rift even come from!?

The sun on this planet was almost blinding, but he was still able to spot Kitty scrambling to her feet a few yards away, and his grandpa pacing back and forth and cussing up a storm. Aw geez. How was he going to explain this one to Kitty? He wasn't ready for this!

"M-Morty, what happened? How did we get-? Where are we!?" Kitty looked as if she were on the verge of having a panic or jumping up and down with excitement (maybe both?), and Morty quickly stumbled over to check and see if she was okay. Her knees were a bit scraped up from the landing, and a few strands of her hair were loosened from her pigtails and hung down in her face, but other than that she appeared unscathed.

"A-are you okay? People u-usually get sick the first time they're sucked through one of those things." Or every time in his case.

"Okay? OKAY!? I just got sucked up through a portal to… to another planet? I'm ecstatic! We were just in my bedroom and we were like teleported or something? This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me! Just look at this place, Morty. It's like we're in Ancient Egypt, but it's all futuristic. Omg it's like we've been teleported to some cool cyber-punk version of Ancient Egypt! Is that what this is? C'mere, we've gotta take a picture!" Kitty's face lit up as she spun around to take in their surroundings. She quickly turned back to Morty and pulled him up against her side before snapping a few photos. "Oh wow, this is so cool! My phone even works? Awesome!" Morty was relieved to see she was more excited than anything about their situation. However, the sound of approaching footsteps alerted Morty to oncoming danger.

"U-um, I'm glad you're not freaking out as much as I am, but you won't be so excited when they get us!" Morty pointed toward a group of aliens that were marching over toward them. Kitty glanced over her shoulder to see where he was pointing, squinting over at the arriving aliens in confusion. Oh no, Morty hoped his grandpa was actually prepared for this situation. Had he even brought a gun with him? Who was he kidding, Rick always had some sort of techy weapon on him. Morty grabbed Kitty's wrist and pulled her behind Rick before one of the aliens tried to grab one of the two teens.

The… aliens, or whatever they were, were some of the most bizarre creatures he'd ever seen. The first thought through Morty's mind was that they resembled some of the gods and goddesses worshipped by the Ancient Egyptians, but they were all backwards and messed up. They all had human bodies, and they were draped in fine linens and shining armor. Some of them had decedent jewelry and headwear, but where an animal's head would usually be there were strange animal limbs or other body parts! They also carried what at first glance appeared to be ancient weapons, but upon further inspection were actually weapons charged with electricity and combined with advanced technologies. History wasn't exactly his strong suit, but Morty was positive that he'd never seen something like this in a textbook or on the History channel.

The beings looked awkward and grotesque, and Morty wasn't sure if he was terrified by them or if he should be laughing at them. He valued his life, so he chose to remain silent rather than risk making them even angrier. Looking over at Kitty he saw a mixture of fear and fascination, and his grandpa just looked mildly inconvenienced.

"L-listen, I know you guys a-are pissed or *urp* whatever, but y-you've got t*urp*the wrong guy! Er-guys!" Rick cast a quick glance over his shoulder at the two teens standing behind him.

"We know not of what you are speaking of, earth creature! You are trespassing on our planet!" The largest of the group shouted before motioning to the other to continue their advance. "Oh…W-well, *urp* if that's how you wanna do it." Rick pulled a gun, and Morty shrieked when all of the aliens started charging toward them. Rick just jumped out of the way, rolling behind some nearby cover.

"Rick!?" Morty stepped in front of Kitty, taking the whole weight of an alien as he was tackled to the ground. He tried his best to fight back, kicking and clawing at the alien, but as soon as his focus was taken away from her, another alien jumped kitty. Surprised by the attack, Kitty too was quickly down and pinned to the sand beneath them. "R-Rick, do something!" Morty cried out, voice quivering with panic. The alien had a large beak instead of a head, and Morty was struggling to keep it from snapping down on him.

The alien above Morty suddenly grunted, before going limp and falling down on top of him. Morty struggled for a moment beneath the dead weight before shoving it off of him. He rolled over, spotting a large gaping wound on the alien's back. Looking around he saw a few other downed aliens, and his grandpa choking another out with their own staff.

"S-someone help!" Kitty yelled from somewhere to his left. Morty quickly looked over, and gasped in horror. One of the aliens had one of the large talons protruding from their shoulders wrapped around Kitty's throat, dangling her several feet up in the air. Kitty's knuckles were white as she tried in vain to pull the massive fingers away from her neck, mouth opening and closing as she tried to gasp for air. Morty looked around for a weapon that he could use, but before he could do anything Rick ran over and delivered a pretty powerful drop-kick to the alien's ribs. The creature screeched in pain before dropping Kitty and focusing instead on Rick. Before it could take another step, Rick quickly drove a glowing dagger into its chest, quickly downing the alien. Morty scrambled over to Kitty's side as Rick went about killing the rest of the aliens. Morty made sure that his body shielded Kitty so that she wouldn't have to see any of it happening.

"A-are you okay?" He asked, gently rubbing her back as she coughed and gulped in more air. Kitty nodded her head, pressing her forehead into the sand as she grounded herself. Morty looked back up and saw Rick kill the last of the aliens before he ran back over to his grandson.

"Q-*urp*quick! Grab her and l-let's get out of *urp* here before more of them show up!" Rick helped Morty get Kitty to her feet before they quickly fled the area. Rick looked like he might have an idea where they were heading, so Morty just followed his lead, allowing Kitty to lean against him before she recovered. Luckily, it took the other teen only a few more minutes before she had caught her breath and was able to keep up with their pace.

"W-what is this place, and what were those things?" Kitty whispered, once again looking around at all of the different structures around them. There were tall columns and statues littered all over the place. They were covered in hieroglyphics, but the carvings glowed and the columns were wrapped with thin strands of wire. The sculptures were a bizarre combination of old stone and new metal. They looked as if they'd come to life any minute and give chase. Were they infused with some sort of AI, or were they just lifeless statues? Turning his attention back to Kitty's question, Morty discovered he actually didn't have much of an answer for her. He was just as confused as she was!

"I-I think they might be the aliens that, uh, helped build the pyramids? At least, i-if you believe all of that crap I guess. I mean, look at all of the similarities!" Morty tried to explain. There had to be some sort of connection, as there were just too many coincidences and similarities between the two cultures to ignore.

"Oh p-*urp*please! Only fucking conspiracy nuts *urp* believe that crap. Fucking conspiracy nuts, Morty! The aliens didn't create a-anything, *urp* they were j-just inspired by it or some bullshit." Rick griped from ahead of them. Morty winced at his grandpa's blunt language, casting another look over at Kitty. She didn't seem fazed by it at all. In fact, she just laughed a bit, biting her bottom lip to try and cover her smile.

"Don't worry about it, Morty. It's not like I've never heard someone curse before!" She laughed, playfully punching Morty's shoulder. She then looked back out at the structures around them. Kitty sighed in awe, taking out her phone and snapping a few more pictures along the way.

"H-hey, you can't, um, show those pictures to anyone, alright?" Morty mumbled. He averted his eyes again, afraid that he might upset Kitty. He just didn't want even more people knowing about all of this stuff. It was bad enough that his friends and Kitty knew about it, but he didn't want the whole school to find out! Aw geez, he didn't think he'd be able to handle all of that attention…

"Duh, I know that, but I wanna be able to remember all of this stuff, y'know? I don't wanna wake up tomorrow morning and think all of this was just some crazy dream or something." Kitty rubbed nervously at the back of her neck before brushing some strands of hair out of her face and behind her ear. Morty watched her hand, face heating up once again. That tended to happen a lot when he was near her.

"Y-yeah, I get that." Morty had lost count of how many times he woke up after an adventure thinking the whole thing had just been a dream (or a nightmare in some cases!). He wished he had taken photos to keep as a reminder, but more often than not it was a new ache or pain to remind him that what happened had been real. "D-do you mind sending those to me? I-I think I'd like to keep them, too." Kitty smiled at him before giving a quick nod of her head.

"H-hey! If you *urp* if you kids a-are done making eyes at each other, how about *urp* we start moving a little f-faster here!" Rick glowered back at the two teens lagging behind him. "W-we need to *urp* to break into their base of operations a-and steal a ship to get the fuck outta here." Rick pointed ahead of them to a large pyramid like shape. The pyramid loomed over them, and Morty shivered involuntarily as they stepped beneath its shadow. The shape was definitely that of the pyramids back on earth, but rather than large stone blocks, the whole thing was a shiny chrome.

"Um, Rick? W-why can't you just teleport us out of here?" Now that he thought about it, why hadn't his grandpa just immediately used his portal gun to bring them home the second they had landed? Why go through all of the trouble of finding and stealing an alien ship to fly back home?

"Well geez, Morty! I would i-if I *urp* could, but they've got some sort of dampener on this planet. Th-the portal gun is *urp* useless until we can get off-world." Well shit. Morty took a deep breath, trying to stave off his panic. Of course the portal gun wasn't working, and on the one mission they could really use it! What if Kitty's parents or Emma noticed that she was missing and they freaked out!? What if they called Morty's parents and they tried to forbid him from any more adventures with Rick!? What if he couldn't hang out with Kitty anymore!?

"It'll be alright, Morty." Kitty must have sensed his rising panic as she gently placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. She looked ahead to Rick before glancing up at the pyramid. "So what's our best way in? I don't see any drainage pipes or anything, so I'm guessing from below is not an option. I don't see any other access points besides the main entrance either, but there might be a back door? There's never only one way in and out, that's just, like, poor planning." Morty's jaw dropped, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. Rick actually looked pretty impressed, but the look was quickly replaced with his usual level-headed disinterested face.

"Hmm s-smart thinking. We'll head around the *urp* back of this thing and look for a s-second entrance. Try to k-keep *urp* up this time!" The three broke out into a light jog, ducking behind and around any plant life or pillars. Morty saw a few more of the aliens walking up to the pyramid before a large section broke away to reveal the main door. It looked as if an entire ship could fit through there! There was definitely more to this place below the surface, but Morty didn't really want to spend too much time exploring any of it. He just wanted to get out of here! His grandpa had finally pulled out an actual laser gun, carefully checking around each corner before they made another push forward. Kitty had a more serious look on her face, and the second she found a large enough stick, she took hold of it like a weapon.

As they rounded the back of the pyramid, Morty spotted another entrance into the building! It was covered by brush and a few trees, but the outline of the door was obvious. Rick immediately went to work trying to open the door without the use of his tech, and in the end just shooting it down seemed to be the best option. Morty cringed at the sound of the metal door ripping away from the frame.

"Let's *urp* let's get a move on b-before someone comes to investigate th-that noise." Rick whispered, taking off into the building. He quickly dodged around a corner at the sound of footsteps nearing, and the two teens narrowly made it out of the hall as a group of armed aliens came charging by. Rick made a motion with his fingers to get the two to follow him. Morty thought the place was like a maze, and he didn't quite know how they were supposed to find their way out of this situation. The more corners they turned and the more hallways they ran down, the more lost he felt. Rick looked like he knew where they were going, so Morty had to believe he knew what he was doing and wasn't just leading them blindly into more trouble.

Morty briefly turned his head to take in their new surroundings. The walls were covered in the same hieroglyphics they saw outside, and electric wires ran along the ceiling.

"Hey, y-you should take some pictures in here, too. Maybe we could try to figure out what this all says?" Morty quietly suggested to Kitty.

"That's, like, totally a great idea! This would be really neat to try and decipher." Kitty slipped out her phone, sneaking a few more pictures.

"Hey, Rick! Do you think we'd be able to translate this?" Morty questioned his grandpa. At his grandpa's lack of a snarky response, Morty looked down the hall to where his grandpa was standing. "Aw geez, Rick?" Morty didn't dare speak up above a whisper in fear that they'd be discovered. Where had his grandpa gone!?

"Don't panic, Morty. There's a door down the hall, maybe he went in there?" Kitty suggested.

"M-maybe, let's go check it out." The two teens hesitantly walked over to the large door. Morty cast Kitty one last worried glance before reaching out a shaky hand and opening the door. They carefully waked into the room, but save more a few pieces of crumbling pillars strewn about the room, it appeared to be otherwise empty.

"R-rick? Are you in here?" Morty called out.

"Who dares enter my room!" A deep voice bellowed out. The two teens jumped back in surprise, but before they could flee out the door, a large tentacle slithered out and slammed it shut. Morty let out an embarrassing shriek, and Kitty grabbed his arm to pull the two of them away from the appendage. At the other end of the room, a large gelatinous blob rolled out from behind one of the pillars. Its many tentacles flailed and writhed around, and Morty spotted several of them wriggling closer to them. One of the tentacles suddenly shot out, and before Morty could react, latched onto Kitty's leg and tore her jeans away like a sheet of paper!

"Yesss, what beautiful young flesh!" The alien gurgled and hissed. Despite the pounding in his chest and fear running through his veins, Morty knew he had to do something quickly! He couldn't let anything like this happen to Kitty!

"I-I won't let you hurt her!" Morty put on his bravest face, pulling his elbows inward and getting into his best fighting stance. He didn't have any weapons, but dammit, he could still fight!

"I was talking about you, maley!" The creature laughed before another large tentacle shot out and wrapped around his ankle.

"Wait, wha-" Morty didn't even have enough time to process what was going on before he was yanked up into the air and shaken around the room. Morty couldn't focus on anything as he was being swung about except for his own screaming and clawing at the tentacle wrapped around him.

"Don't worry, Morty! I'll help you!" Kitty called from down below. She watched, dismayed, as Morty was carelessly flailed around the room by the blob. There had to be something around here that could help them? Kitty frantically looked around the room, spotting a gun lying on the ground a few feet away. Kitty dove for the gun, dodging several tentacles as they tried to stop her. Kitty grabbed the gun and shot at the tentacles trying to grab at her. She aimed at the tentacle holding Morty, but it was moving too erratically. She didn't want to accidentally hit Morty! There had to be another way.

Taking a closer look at the alien's main body, Kitty spotted some large sores atop its head. That had to be it! One of the sores was red, and the other was a green color. There was no way this was a coincidence! If her videogames had taught her anything, it was that the most obvious answer was always the wrong one, which meant… it had to be the green sore! Kitty closed one of her eyes and took aim, but before she could pull the trigger, another gunshot sounded out from behind her. The alien squealed in pain when the sore atop its head exploded. The tentacles all dropped and the alien lied there on the ground, dead. Morty slammed onto the ground, letting out a grunt of pain upon making contact with the hard metal.

"W-what the *urp* hell do you think you're doing?" Kitty and Morty both looked up to see Rick standing in the doorway, gun in hand. "Y-you can't just *urp* shoot your way out of everything. You gotta *urp* you gotta look for their weak point and take advantage of it! Fight smart and all that shit." Rick griped, waving his gun around in the air. Kitty frowned up at him, wondering if he understood the hypocrisy of his own words.

"Well, I didn't see you around when Morty was grabbed. He could have been seriously hurt!" She shoved the gun underneath her arm before running over to help Morty to his feet.

"It's not my *urp* it's not my fault. I-if you two would have kept *urp* up, you w-wouldn't have gotten lost." Rick narrowed his eyes in annoyance. Kitty poked her tongue out at him as soon as he turned his back before leaning down and grabbing Morty's hand.

"Th-thanks, Kitty. You did, um, really good. Don't listen to Rick, y-you would have definitely taken out that alien had my grandpa not come in at the last moment." Morty tried to console her. His grandpa could be a real dick sometimes. Couldn't he see that she knew how to handle herself?

"It's fine, Morty. Besides, it wasn't all bad! What do you think!" Kitty struck a dramatic pose and winked at him. Morty was suddenly reminded that she was just standing there in her underwear. Aw geez, he didn't want to say something dumb and embarrass himself! Thankfully, he didn't even have time to open his mouth before the sound of rushing footsteps approached the door. Rick stepped back just as the door swung open to reveal a large group of the Ancient Egyptian aliens.

"Capture the primitive earth creatures! They have caused enough trouble, and our leader needs to speak with this one." They motioned to Rick. The aliens quickly surrounded the three humans, knocking their weapons out of their hands, before grabbing them and shoving a bag over their heads. Damn! How were they supposed to find their way back out of this place now?

"You earth creatures just don't know when to quit, do you?" One of the aliens hissed as they lead the prisoners down the hall toward their leader. "We've met your kind before, back when you were more… primitive. It looks like not much has changed since our last visit." The aliens laughed at that. Rick cursed and Morty heard a whump and a grunt of discomfort from one of the aliens. Well, at least that helped fill in why they had so many similarities to the Ancient Egyptians. Apparently this was not the first time they had had a run in with mankind.

"Behold! Our great and powerful leader! Bask in his glory!" Morty winced as he was roughly shoved in front of his captor, and the bag was ripped off of his head. He squinted when he was suddenly thrust into the light again, allowing his eyes to quickly adjust. He looked to his right and spotted his grandpa glaring up at his captor, and when he looked to his left he saw Kitty, just as amazed and confused and she had been the first time they encountered these beings. Looking up to the front of the room, Morty noticed what must be their leader. The alien looked similar to these others, but he was enormous! From his neck sprouted not one, but several strange animal parts. They were even more outlandish and extravagant jewelry and fabrics, and the throne they sat atop was even larger! It was a weird meld of several cultures and technologies, most of which Morty couldn't identify. At the foot of the throne was a large pool of what appeared to be… honey? That couldn't be right, could it?

"Kneel before me!" The alien bellowed. Morty immediately dropped to his knees, afraid of pissing off even more aliens on this planet. Rick cursed some more before doing the same, and Kitty kneeled with only a quiet 'wow'.

"Are you not impressed, earth creatures? Bask in the glory of all that we have taken and created!" The leader made a sweeping gesture at all of the strange items and machines around the room. "Thousands of years ago, we visited your home planet of earth to study your species. You were lucky to have had such an amazing gift for us, otherwise your kind would have been subjugated!" The king inhaled deeply, taking long sweeping strides down to the pool of honey.

"H-honey?" Morty questioned, not noticing he had spoken aloud until the alien standing behind him slapped the back of his head with the butt of his gun. Morty winced, moving his arms to cover his head. Aw geez, had he spoken aloud? His nerves were starting to get to him. Now is not the time to lose your cool, Morty!

"Show some respect and remain silent! It is not your time to speak, earth creature!" The alien spat.

"Honey! This golden nectar is coveted by our people. You've probably never had a taste of it, have you? So rich, so smooth, so delicious! There is no substance like it in any other galaxy. It is our greatest treasure, and it is the only reason your kind are alive and standing here before me." The large alien bent forward and dipped a hand into the honey, shivering with delight. They scooped the liquid into an opening atop their strange head, moaning lowly. Morty cringed at the sight, starting to become a little uncomfortable with the alien's fascination with the honey. It was just as bizarre as their appearance! Beside him, Rick had his brows lowered in concentration. He seemed to know something that Morty didn't. Hopefully it was a way out of this mess!

"S-so you guys *urp* are just, what, just looking for something interesting t-to take?" Rick questioned, chuckling a bit.

"Interesting? You have something interesting for me? Impossible! There is nothing you earth creatures could possibly possess that we don't already have!"

"Oh please. Humans have *urp* come a long way since Ancient Egypt." Rick sneered up at their leader. "If you wanna *urp* wanna be impressed, take a look at some of these! T-top of the line technology!" Rick pulled out his portal gun, holding it up above his head. With his other hand, he pulled out one of his other little gadgets.

"Is that the best you can do, earth creature? We have all of these things already. Our tech is unmatched! These are unworthy gifts!" The leader waved their hand dismissively. The other aliens behind them laughed. Rick sputtered at their reaction, pulling out every piece of tech he had on him and tossing it on the ground at their feet. At each piece of tech, each gun and scanner, each laser tool and gun, the aliens just laughed and revealed their own identical piece of tech.

"R-rick? You've gotta have something, um, right?" Morty asked. His anxiety was increasing at the same rate his grandpa's frustration and confusion were. If Rick couldn't get them out of this mess, who could?

"Your pathetic attempts to placate me are no longer amusing. After I'm through with you three, I think I'll pay another visit to your home planet, earth. It's been quite some time since we've last paid earth a visit. Your primitive technology will not be able to stop us this time!"

"I-I'm *urp* out Morty! You hear me? We're fucked, Morty!" Rick spat, trying in vain again to fire his portal gun. Kitty glanced down at all of the gadgets strewn about his feet, pressing her tongue to the inside of her cheek in thought.

"I get it now." Kitty whispered under her breath. Morty gave her a questioning glance, but the other teen just grinned before jumping to her feet. "Wait! Before you kill us or whatever, at least let me do this." Kitty pulled out her phone and skipped over toward the head alien.

"Do you think I'm impressed with that, earth creature? We have cellphones, too. This technology is not new to us!" the leader pulled out a bulky phone and tossed his head back, laughing. Morty watched as Kitty nonchalantly flipped her hair over her shoulder, turned around, and held up her phone.

"Smile, big guy~" she lilted before snapping a selfie of the two of them. For the second time that day, Morty's jaw dropped in shock.

"What was that!?" The large alien shrieked, and Morty was certain that if he had eyes they would have been wide with fear. "What did you just do!?"

"I just took a selfie. Have you never heard of it? It's all the rage on earth right now!" Kitty brought the picture up on her phone and held it up to the alien's face. "See? It's totally amazing and I bet your cellphones can't do it."

"This is impossible! We must create our own immediately! Hurry, before we are further humiliated by the earth creatures." The aliens quickly grabbed the three humans, tossing them through an opening in the wall and back out into the sand. Morty watched as all of the aliens standing around quickly re-loaded into their ship, dragging many of the large sculptures and pillars in with them. Morty couldn't believe what he was seeing. Were they seriously just… leaving? No battle, no shooting, no anything?

"Holy shit, run! Fucking r-*urp*run or we'll be vaporized!" Rick shouted, scooping his gadgets into his lab coat before taking off. Kitty ran past Morty, grabbing his hand and pulling him behind her. The roar of the ship's engines was deafening, and Morty watched as the force of the engines destroyed the ground beneath the ship. The cloud of dust was practically on their heels!

"Quick! Through *urp* here!" Rick shouted, pointing at the portal he had finally successfully opened. Whatever had been blocking the gun's signal before must have been loaded aboard the ship or shut off upon liftoff. Morty felt relief wash over him as he jumped through the swirling green portal. Finally, they were done with this whole ordeal. On the other side, he found that Rick had teleported them right back to Kitty's bedroom.

"Ohmigosh, Morty! We have to do this again some time. That was way more fun than studying! And did you see me? I totally saved us from that alien overlord guy at the end!" Kitty was practically jumping around her room with excitement.

"Y-you did *urp* alright, kid. held your own better than *urp* M-Morty. Just do us all a favor? Pants." Rick grumbled, climbing back out of Kitty's window, grabbing his jetpack on the way out. Morty was once again reminded that Kitty was not wearing any pants. Embarrassed, he covered his eyes and turned away from her.

"That's probably the nicest thing your grandpa has said to me all day." Kitty laughed, pulling on a new pair of jeans. "Too bad my others were ripped. That was my favorite pair of shorts! It was totally worth it, though, and check out all of these awesome pics I got!" She exclaimed, holding her phone up to Morty. Morty uncovered his eyes and chuckled. Out of all the pictures she'd taken that day, the picture of Kitty with the alien leader was definitely his favorite.

He was so happy Rick seemed to approve of her, and he was even impressed with her solution (even if he didn't say it out loud. The best part was, Kitty had even had a lot of fun on their adventure! Despite his initial apprehension, Morty was now looking forward to more adventures with his friends. Not only did they make it more fun and entertaining, but they might have different ideas or solutions like Kitty did! Speaking of solutions…

"How did you know that taking a picture with the aliens would make them leave?" Morty asked, turning his attention back to Kitty.

"It was simple! All of that science-y crap your grandpa was showing them was just a bunch of practical items. Obviously they'd have similar tech because who doesn't like to make life easier, but nothing your grandpa or the aliens had was really fun! None of their stuff was used for entertainment, so I figured they must never have seen anything like it. When they showed me their clunky cell-phones, I knew for sure I was right! The most obvious solution isn't always the correct one, Morty. Sometimes you just gotta think outside the box a little~" Kitty hummed, flopping back down on her bed. "Man, I'm wiped! That adventure may have been loads of fun, but that was a lot of running around in one day. You need a lift home? My mom could probably drive you if you'd like."

"N-no, but thank you. I think I'm just gonna walk home and enjoy the peace. See you in school tomorrow?"

"You bet! Let me at least walk you to the door." Kitty lead Morty out of her room and down the hall.

"What were you two up to? I haven't seen either of you all afternoon!" Emma exclaimed, poking her head out of her own room.

"Just studying, Emma, like we usually do. There are a lot of exams coming up this month, and we've gotta be ready for all of them, yeah?" Kitty replied. Emma seemed disbelieving of the answer, but made no further comment. Kitty relaxed, glad that her sister accepted the lie for now.

"Morty, dear, are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" Kitty's mom asked as the two teens walked down the stairs.

"Thanks ma'am, but I've really got to get home. It was nice seeing you, and thanks again for letting me come over!" Morty waved goodbye to both of her parents before walking out the door. After he'd stepped down from the porch, Morty turned and gave Kitty a wave, too. "See you in school, Kitty! And don't forget to text me the 'notes' from today!"

"Of course! See you tomorrow!" Kitty waved back, closing the door behind her.

As soon as Morty entered the comfort of his own home, his cell's screen lit up with notifications. A few were from his friends, but the newest was from Kitty. Opening the message, Morty saw all of the pictures she'd taken that day on their adventure. Morty smiled down at his phone. While it may have started out a bit hectic, today had turned out to be pretty great. He found himself, for once, eagerly awaiting his next adventure with Rick and, hopefully, one of his friends.


	5. Meeting the Smiths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Hello everybody! I'm back with a new chapter. This chapter is going to focus on Morty parents, mostly Beth and how both her and Jerry react to Morty's new found friends. Also, I had my friend qMargot from DeviantArt make a cover picture for "Rick and Morty New Drama Adventures". qMargot will also be making pictures of my version of Emma and Kitty's parents. And I also like to thank my friend Rufus T. Serenity for both coming up with Kitty last name and the name of this chapter.

Beth nervously twirled a strand of blond hair between her fingers, idly staring at her reflection as she dressed for the day. She didn't want to overdress for their guest today, but she didn't want to embarrass her son by dressing too casual. It's not like she had many options besides work uniforms, so her options were quite limited to begin with. Jeans and a blouse it would be! Morty had never had a friend over for anything besides kindergarten birthday parties, and even then, he had always been too shy to play with any of the other kids. Beth had eventually given up trying to invite other school kids over for him, choosing to let Morty take it at his own pace.

Speaking of their guest, Morty had been spending an awful lot of time at his new friend's house recently. He'd been going nearly every weekend to "study" or something. It wasn't that she was mad at him for doing so, her son had even asked for her permission first. It was just… Summer had grown up so quickly and now her little boy was, too. She knew how anxious he could get, and oh! How much trouble he had just talking to classmates. She was just happy for her son, but she couldn't help but feel a bit concerned. She didn't want him to get hurt, after all.

After many days of slyly dropping hints about meeting his friends, Morty had finally given in and invited them to his house instead. Beth knew their family could be a bit hectic at some times, especially now that Rick was staying with them, but she hoped his friends wouldn't be scared away by his crazy family. She tried to come up with a game plan to keep Rick occupied elsewhere, but her father had drunkenly declined, claiming there was too much important work to be done that day. She had, however, been able to convince him to at least sober up a little more than usual, and that was success enough for her.

She didn't like that Rick had seemed to be Morty's only friend as of late. It wasn't that that was a bad thing, she was just glad that he was finally making friends with kids his own age. Rick was his grandfather, and it had been a bit troubling that he had been Morty's only friend. She and Jerry had argued about her father's influence on Morty more times than she could count, but clearly she'd been right about Rick all along. He was a positive influence in Morty's life whether Jerry would admit it or not.

Ever since her father had been staying with them, Morty had been breaking out of his shell more and more. Morty's grades in certain subjects might have been slipping a bit recently, but that was normal for a teenager. Beth frowned thinking back on all the arguments that she had had with Jerry regarding Rick. Why couldn't he see all the good Rick was doing for this family? The thought of thanking Rick for helping Morty briefly crossed her mind before a loud snore brought her thoughts back to the present.

Beth frowned across the kitchen at Jerry. Her husband was sitting on the couch, mouth hanging open and a hand buried in a bag of chips, sleeping. On the television, an infomercial rolled across the screen. How long had he been laying there sleeping? She had wanted her husband to help cook some of the food today, or maybe even help clean up the house a bit before Morty's friend stopped by. Instead, she had done both of those things while he dozed off. Wasn't he even a little stressed out about this meeting? Beth had no illusions about Jerry's dislike for her father, so she had assumed that he would be jumping at this news! Shouldn't he be practically celebrating the fact that Morty would finally be hanging out with someone other than Rick?

Suddenly quite frustrated, Beth briefly considered waking him up with a swift kick to the shin, but figured that she'd rather enjoy the momentary peace and lack of complaining and wake him up later. She pursed her lips as she walked over toward the fridge to prepare and cut some assorted sandwiches. She decided it was better to play it safe and over-prepare than make food their guest wouldn't enjoy. Maybe she would have had time to bake some cookies, too, but thanks to Jerry, she had spent the morning on her knees scrubbing the floors and vacuuming the house. She was the one with a real job, shouldn't Jerry be the one doing the housework?

While cutting the crust off the first sandwich (just in case!), Beth briefly wondered about what type of kids her son would befriend. Would they be shy like her son? Would they be more outgoing like Summer? Hopefully they'd be a good influence, or maybe they'd even help her boy gain some self-confidence or courage. As long as they would never take advantage Morty, who was, admittedly, a bit gullible, Beth thought that she could learn to like them no matter who they were.

Beth was just finishing up the sandwiches when she heard the doorbell ringing. She quickly set the plate of sandwiches out on the table, wiping her thumb over a smudge on the glossy surface. She then brushed her hands off on a dish towel before heading into the next room and kicking Jerry's foot to wake him up. Her husband started, almost tossing the bag of chips off his lap, and shouted a quick curse at the sudden pain in his foot. A swift glare from Beth and another ring at the door had him finally scrambling off of the couch and into the kitchen to put the chips away. Beth rushed over to the door, brushing some of her blond hair behind her ears and patting down her blouse. You only get one chance to make a first impression!

"Hello!" She cheerily greeted, pulling the door open to see who it was. She was surprised to see a teenaged girl on their doorstep. The girl was quietly rocking back and forth on her heels, eyes focused on some of the potted plants beside the door and humming to herself before looking up to Beth.

"Hi, Mrs. Smith! Mr. Smith!" The girl eagerly held out her hand first to Beth, and then to Jerry, who had by then walked up behind his wife and was, thankfully, clean of any chip crumbs. Beth was a bit confused by it all, but shook her hand regardless. The girl had pretty black hair tied up into pigtails, and her face seemed impossibly bright and happy. She wore a nice skirt and a t-shirt featuring some logo from a video game she thought she might have seen her son play once. Had Summer invited some friends over today as well? Summer rarely actually told Beth when she was having guests, and Beth was usually at work when they were over anyway. Morty's friend must have been running a bit late. Beth solemnly shook her head and called Summer down to greet her friend.

"I'm sorry, and your name is? Please come in, there are some sandwiches in the next room if you'd like." Beth informed, motioning toward the kitchen entrance.

"My name's Kitty, and thank you!" Beth closed the door behind their guest and waited at the bottom of the stairs for Summer to come down.

"Is she one of Summer's friends?" Jerry asked in a hushed tone, heading back over to his seat. Beth shrugged, turning her attention to her eldest as she came down the stairs.

"Summer, one of your friends has stopped by, why don't you go greet her?" Summer raised her brow but walked toward the kitchen anyway. Beth was just about to join Jerry on the couch when Summer quickly returned to the room without the other teen.

"Uh, I'm pretty sure that kid is like a sophomore or freshman. Did you even look at her? She's a total geek! She's definitely not my friend." Beth looked at Jerry over Summer's shoulder, sharing a concerned look. She wondered at first if she had just let a complete stranger into their house, but the girl had known their names! She was about to go question the newcomer when the front door slammed open, Rick practically dragging Morty into the house. So, that's where he was! Her father had probably just been giving Morty a pep-talk or something and that's why she had been unable to find him earlier.

"W-where is y-your *urp* girlfriend, Morty?" he slurred, stumbling across the room and shooting Jerry an odd look. Jerry glowered back before Beth's glare put an end to it. She was glad to see that Rick was staggering around less than usual, but any thoughts about that came to a quick and sudden halt. Had he… had he said girlfriend!?

"Aw geez, Rick. W-why do you have to keep saying that? Kitty is just my friend." He stuttered from Rick's grasp. O-okay, so just a friend. Beth wasn't sure if she was ready for girlfriends yet! Rick looked like he was about to make a sarcastic remark, but settled instead for waggling his eyebrows suggestively and calling for Kitty to come join them. Kitty came out of the kitchen and smiled at the new arrivals, half eaten turkey sandwich in hand.

"Omg, Morty, there you are! I thought I'd be waiting around here forever before you came! Thanks for the sandwich, Mrs. Smith!" She gave a cheery wave, and just like that, the three of them were gone from the house. Beth turned to her husband, jaw dropped. W-what? Jerry's eyes were blown wide, staring at the door as it slammed shut behind the parting trio. Behind them, Summer was trying not to snicker too loudly. Her brother definitely harbored a secret crush on that girl. Oh, this was just too good!

"S-Summer? Who was she?" Beth turned to her eldest, brows now furrowed in confusion. She was Morty's friend? She'd been expecting… well, someone else! Summer rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know her personally, but I have seen her walking to Chemistry with Morty. He's been hanging around with a bunch of these upperclassmen recently. I don't really know them either because… well because they're kinda a bunch of geeks! There's a whole group of them that hang out and sit together at lunch talking about nerd stuff. That's about all I've got. I don't keep tabs on my little brother's life, mom! He never even had one until now I guess."

"Summer, don't say that about your brother. Just because he isn't as outgoing as you doesn't make mean he has no life." Beth chided her daughter.

"Whatever." Summer gave her mom one last look to see if she had any more questions before stalking back upstairs to her bedroom. After thinking for a few more seconds, Beth turned back toward her husband, grinning from ear to ear and giving a little excited bounce.

"Jerry, do you know what this means? Morty has friends other than my father! He's finally making friends with the kids at school! Oh, Jerry, our son has finally opened up!" She grabbed Jerry's shoulders and shook the startled man around a bit. "How did we not know of this before? Is Morty not comfortable telling us about these things? He tells Rick everything, thank god. At least somebody in this family is keeping tabs on him. I'm so glad my father was able to help him break out of his shell."

"Beth, calm down please. This is… This is just so much information to process right now. Don't get me wrong, I-I'm excited about this, too, but… um… well I don't think-"

"Don't think what, Jerry?" Beth took on a defensive posture, guessing exactly where this conversation was heading. Jerry started sweating.

"W-well, I just don't really think Rick had anything to do with this. You know he's not exactly-"

"Exactly what, Jerry?" Beth narrowed her eyes, readying herself for an argument. Jerry finally took note of his wife's stance and took a step back to avoid getting slapped in the face. He laughed nervously, raising his hands in surrender.

"N-never mind, dear. I didn't mean a-anything!" Beth shook her head and shouldered past him into the kitchen. She nabbed one of the sandwiches she had prepared and took a bite before spinning back around to confront her husband.

"Jerry, look, I know you don't hold my father in high regards, but don't you think you're being a little unfair here? He's really been helping Morty out since he moved in, and I can't believe you still can't see that! What is it, are you still jealous of him or something?" Jerry let out a frustrated groan, leaning up against the counter top across from her.

"Please, can we not do this right now, sweetheart? Morty and his friend could come back any moment, and they don't need to see us fighting." He mumbled through grit teeth. If they started arguing now, it would last hours, possibly even days if it got too out of hand.

"Fine, but this isn't over, Jerry. Oh, and sweetheart? You can sleep on the couch tonight."

"Alright alright! I'll sleep on the couch…" Jerry grabbed a sandwich as well and Beth gave him a quick peck on the cheek before heading out to sit on the couch. Jerry decided to sit closer to his wife rather than his chair, and the two quietly waited for Morty's return. Beth silently fretted about why Morty would be keeping secrets, but she again chalked it up to him just being a teenager. He had to grow up some time, but did it have to be so soon? Summer would be heading off to college soon, and Morty was spending less and less time at home. Well, maybe this newfound confidence and independence would be better in the long run. She could still gently guide him whenever he needed help, and she would always be his mom, but she figured she could probably start worrying a little less about her youngest.

Beth sighed quietly and laid her head down on Jerry's shoulder. He seemed rather nonchalant about this whole situation. Did he share her worries about their son finally growing up? Was he as excited about this situation as she was? He didn't seem so nervous now that the shock of Morty having friends (upperclassmen and girls no less!) settled. Oh shit, Beth, you need to calm down she thought to herself. No need to freak Morty and Kitty out when they came back home. They'd think you were crazy!

They sat together on the couch for what seemed like hours to Beth, but was most likely maybe only 30 minutes, before the door swung back open and the trio returned. Where had they even gone? Beth quickly leapt to her feet to greet them. Rick stumbled in first, wrapping an arm around his daughter's shoulders before excusing himself to the garage. She caught him and Jerry making faces at each other (again!) on the way and chose to ignore their childish behavior this time. Instead, she turned back to the strange girl, Kitty. They didn't have any shopping bags with them, but her father's coat had been sporting a few odd burns, and the kids' clothes were ruffled up. She assumed they must have actually been helping Rick with one of his experiments. How nice!

"There aren't any more sandwiches, but can I get you two a drink?" She politely offered, hoping desperately to start up some conversation with this new friend. She didn't doubt Morty's judgment, but she wanted to be absolutely certain he was hanging around with the right crowd and not somebody who would be getting him to even more trouble with the school.

"That's alright, Mrs. Smith. I don't think I got the chance to properly introduce myself earlier! My name is Kitty Rosewood. I'm in Morty's Chem class and we've been helping each other out with like tutoring and studying. Morty's pretty good at the science stuff, and he's really helped me in that class! And since I'm like totally awesome with math, I've been tutoring him in that subject. Oh, and water is fine, thanks!" Beth felt her heart swell with pride at this. She was so glad her son was helping others like this, and she was glad the girl was returning the favor rather than taking advantage of Morty. And what a smart young lady she must be!

"Please, you can call me Beth if you'd like." Kitty nodded as Morty led her into the main room and over to the couch. Well, now seemed like the perfect opportunity to ask about his other friends. With Kitty there, maybe he'd have more courage to speak about them. "Summer was telling me you have other friends, yes?" She now addressed her son. Morty nervously glanced up at his mother, face reddening.

"O-oh, um, they're alright, I guess," he mumbled. The gi-, Kitty, looked over at Morty and gave him an encouraging smile and nod.

"Just alright?" Beth lightly teased, trying to get her son to open up to her. What type of mother would she be if she didn't embarrass her son just a little.

"Aw geez, they're actually pretty great. They really like m-my drawings and they're really interested in all the stuff Rick and I do." At this Beth glanced over her shoulder and gave Jerry an I-told-you-so look. Jerry, for his part, gave an abashed smile and looked down toward his feet. "I've even been invited t-to, um, hang out and play videogames and stuff at their houses after school. W-would that be alright?"

"Aw, that's nice, dear. You can go whenever you like, just be sure to let someone know. I'm glad you've made such good friends. Will I ever get to meet them, too?"

"Mom!" Morty objected, face beet red. Beside him, Kitty laughed at her poor friend's predicament. Beth giggled at her son's embarrassed face before heading back into the kitchen to fill two glasses with water. This was so much better than she could have hoped for! Her youngest not only had a lot of friends, but a lot of friends who genuinely shared interests with him and cared about him! Beth couldn't have been more proud or overjoyed. She quickly rejoined them in the main room. Passing the water to the two teens. She talked a while longer with Kitty before excusing herself and motioning Jerry to follow.

She didn't want to seem too overbearing, and Morty deserved some space. He didn't need his mother hovering around while he was trying to hang out with the girl. From the kitchen, she could hear as Morty started up one of his videogames. Beth poured two glasses of wine and ushered Jerry outside to relax on the lawn chairs together. Jerry followed, grabbing the morning's paper on the way out. As irritating as her husband could be, times like these were… almost pleasant. It reminded her of what their marriage had been like in the beginning.

"Can you believe it, Jerry? I haven't seen Morty this- this happy in such a long time." Beth nearly whispered, awe filling her voice. Her eyes were focused up on the clouds as they slowly rolled by, head tilted back.

"Alright, so maybe Rick has done some good for the kid, but only some." Beth shook her head and laughed. At least he was admitting Rick did something positive for Morty. Baby steps, she told herself, baby steps. "I-I'm… proud of him, Beth. Our kid's come pretty far recently. Guess we did something right, eh?" Jerry extended his arm out to Beth, glass in hand, for a toast. Beth glanced at her husband out of the corner of her eye, contemplating whether or not she should oblige him, before thinking to herself fuck it and clinking her glass against Jerry's.

"To Morty making friends!" She declared, tipping the glass back to her lips. Beside her, Jerry gave a quiet laugh before taking a sip of his own wine. He then leaned back into his chair and unfolded the paper across his lap. Beth looked back up at the sky, taking a moment to finally relax. She didn't have to worry about Morty, not today, and not so long as he was surrounded by such a kind group of friends. The kid was going to be alright.


	6. Tales of the Drunken Rick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Hello everyone! As you can all see, I'm back with a new chapter. This time we are taking Morty and Kitty out of the spotlight so we can focus on the other characters in this story. The characters in the limelight in this chapter are Bridgette and Courtney. with a few other showing up and playing a part. You see, I want to show how Rick's adventures with Morty would effect the other characters. Also, Bridgette and Courtney will have big roles in my story moving forward in the story.

Bridgette blew a stray strand of blonde hair out of her eyes, gazing out of her window at a pair of birds nesting in a nearby tree. She was supposed to be getting ready for class, but it was just so nice outside! She longed for the summer months to finally come; for long days under the sun, for warm sand beneath her toes and rolling waves beneath her board. It wasn't that school was boring or anything, she had a lot of great friends, but being cooped up in her house trying to study for exams or spending hours writing a paper when she could be out enjoying the world was painful.

Bridgette cast the birds one last longing gaze before rolling out of bed and setting about her morning routine. She did a bit of light stretching and meditation to calm her mind and get herself ready for the day. The window was cracked, a light breeze rolling in and mussing her hair up further. She closed her eyes and listened to the birds chirping and a neighbor's dog barking. Afterwards, she got dressed in a pair of comfy yogas and tank top, pulling a sweater down over her bare shoulders. The house was blissfully quiet this morning as she walked down into the kitchen, picking up a few stray class notebooks on the way. She saw her phone light up on the kitchen table; probably a text from one of her friends.

Bridgette smiled down at Leshawna's text, gathering her stuff before running out the door to meet up with the other girl. Leshawna was waiting at the end of her driveway, hair pulled back into a ponytail that hung out from beneath the helmet she was wearing. She sat atop a bicycle, one foot planted firmly on the ground to steady herself as she waited for her friend to leave the house.

"Hurry up, girl! We're gonna be late!" Leshawna called up to Bridgette. Bridgette laughed grabbing her own bike helmet and hooking in under her chin.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" She called back, grabbing her own bicycle and hopping up onto the seat. The two girls took off for school, laughing and joking as they sailed down the streets. Bridgette took the time to enjoy the feel of the sun on her cheeks as Leshawna relayed her plans for the day. They had one more stop on their way. Geoff and Trent usually walked or drove to school, but DJ usually joined them on their bike ride to school every morning.

"Yo DJ! Come on out here, sugar!" Leshawna bellowed. DJ poked his head out of the second story window, looking rather sheepish.

"I'll be right down, guys! I accidentally slept through my alarm this morning." He scratched at the back of his neck and shot the two girls an apologetic smile before closing the window. A few moments later, the teen came bounding out of his house, grabbing his own bike and joining the two on the sidewalk.

"Sorry about that, my mama made us some cookies for lunch today." He motioned to his back where the cookies were stashed away in his bag.

"Did you help?" Bridgette asked, knowing full well her friend was a talented cook.

"O-oh, yeah. I might have helped a little," his cheeks darkened at the statement.

"Aw DJ, that's so sweet of you! Now c'mon before we're late. Kick it into high gear y'all!" Leshawna laughed, peddling off ahead of the others. Bridgette pat DJ on the shoulder before heading off after Leshawna. The three teens managed to make it to school and get their bikes chained up with five minutes to spare before the first bell rang.

In the halls, Bridgette passed by her other friends, Geoff and Trent. Well, more like stumbled into them. Bridgette wondered once again at how clumsy she could be on land, tripping over her own feet as she was walking to first period. She let out a startled yelp, books flying out of her hands as she tried to catch herself. Thankfully the other two saw what was happening and Geoff quickly caught his friend by the shoulders to steady her. Bridgette glanced up at the blonde teen, face going pink at the embarrassing situation.

"I-I'm sorry! I must have slipped on a pencil or something?" She tried to laugh it off.

"No problem, brah! Let me just get your books for you," Geoff offered, bending down to pick up her scattered notebooks.

"Hey, Bridgette, what's up?" Trent asked as he stepped around Geoff.

"Not much, but thanks. How're you guys, and where are you heading?" She politely responded.

"You know me, I'm always good! Just heading to see the tutor, got a big biology exam coming up." Geoff replied, standing up and passing the notebooks back over to Bridgette.

"And I'm doing the tutoring," Trent laughed.

"Did you ride the new bike to school today?" Bridgette asked, thanking Geoff for collecting her notebooks off the floor. Trent had been going on about his dad buying him a motorcycle to his friends all week during lunch. She had even received about a dozen photos via text message about it!

"Of course! Why walk when I have a sweet new set of wheels."

"Sure, Trent. I'll see you two at lunch then? DJ and his mom made cookies for everyone."

"Oh yeah, totally!" Geoff replied, face lighting up at the mention of cookies. They all knew DJ was a great baker and didn't give himself enough credit for it. Maybe she'd be able to convince him to show her a few baking tips?

"Alright, Geoff. Let's go before you're late to your tutoring session." Trent grabbed Geoff's shoulders herding him away from Bridgette and towards the library.

"Dude, you're totally right! See you at lunch, brah!" Geoff tipped his hat to Bridgette. She laughed at her friends' antics, giving a little wave goodbye to the two. She quickly adjusted her backpack and continued on her way, keeping a careful eye on the ground for any stray pencils.

Walking into class, Bridgette heard Duncan calling her from the back of the room. Bridgette tried to ignore him, but another voice drew her attention. DJ was seated beside him already, smiling and waving to his friend to come sit with them. Bridgette knew they were on the football team together (along with Geoff), but she really wished DJ would have picked… better friends from the team.

"Why don't you come sit with us, Bridge, DJ was just telling me how we should all hang out at lunch. Something about cookies?" Bridgette tried not to frown at the nickname, carefully sitting down so that DJ sat between herself and Duncan.

"It's cool! What were you guys talking about?"

"Just this weird kid in some of our classes. You might know him, name's Morty?" Bridgette had seen the awkward teen around, but she had never really paid him much attention.

"Well, Courtney was telling me about all of this crazy shit she's heard about him and-" at that moment the teacher walked in, door swinging open and books slammed down on the desk. "I'll tell you later, or better yet, Courtney can tell you at lunch!" he whispered. Bridgette shook her head, pretty sure she knew where this conversation was going. It wasn't that Duncan was a bad kid per se, he just had a habit of… well, picking on some of the weaker kids. Bridgette wasn't sure she wanted to hear what they had to say, but she figured she would give Courtney the benefit of the doubt.

Up until lunch, Bridgette found herself distracted by looking outside. The sun just looked so nice! She didn't have any classes with friends up until lunch, and every time she passed that Morty kid in the hallway, she could not help but wonder what Courtney had to say. She knew a few of his friends were in her grade, she had seen them at lunch and afterschool together a few times. They seemed like an okay group of kids, right?

"Girl! What are you doing just standing here in the hall?" Leshawna grabbed Bridgette around the arm, pulling her from her thoughts. "If we don't hurry to lunch all of the guys are going to get the cookies!" Oh! Was it lunch already? Bridgette smiled at the other girl, quickly following after her toward the cafeteria. When they arrived, Duncan, DJ, and Geoff were already sitting down, crowded around one another talking. Trent sat a bit farther away, presumably avoiding Duncan, and Courtney was waiting in line for some food. Bridgette and Leshawna sat down by Trent, leaving an empty seat or two between them and the others.

"I know you ain't holding out on us with those cookies, sugar!" Leshawna teased DJ.

"You guys know I always bring enough for everyone," DJ grinned passing some down to the other end of the table. Bridgette placed her lunchbox up on the table, taking small bite of the sweet before digging in to her salad. Leshawna picked at some of the food from Trent's tray, starting up a conversation about how the other teen's day had been. Bridgette was just about to take another bite of her salad when Courtney came over and sat down in one of the empty seats.

"Hey, Leshawna? Is that kid… staring at you?" Bridgette suddenly heard Trent point out.

"Oh my god, he totally is!" Geoff exclaimed, nudging the two football players at his side. Bridgette tried t cast an inconspicuous glance over her shoulder. She spotted a group of kids from their class, the ones that the Morty kid hung out with. The red-headed guy with the glasses, Gerold something, was glancing over at Leshawna, face tinged pink.

"Guys, leave him alone! He's a pretty nice guy, and I think he likes me," Leshawna blushes as well, bringing a hand up to cover her cheeks.

"Who, Harold?" so that was his name! "No way! He's friends with that weird kid, Morty, and that geeky guy, Noah." Bridgette rolled her eyes, readying herself for the oncoming rant. Everyone at the table knew about Courtney's strange grudge against Noah. Bridgette knew it had something to do with how Noah beat her and Heather the other year for class president, but she had never quite figured out why it got under her skin so much. She had listened to Courtney complain during lunch, and she had even listened to her complain during cheer practice.

"Harold's not bad though, Courtney. He's actually pretty cool!" Leshawna gushed, winking across the room at the redhead. Harold immediately looked away, face going tomato-red. How cute!

"Maybe, but that Morty kid is so strange. I heard from someone in my English class that his grandfather is a total nutcase! Supposedly, he and Morty go on these crazy adventures together, but I think they're just imagining things. I mean, aliens at the mall? Really? There's just no way it's true." Courtney huffed forcing a straw into her juice-box with a little more force than needed.

"Yeah, and I heard that he had like no friends except his grandpa until those losers picked him up. What a wimp," Duncan practically sneered. Bridgette looked across the table and shared a look with Leshawna and Trent.

"Dude, no need to call the little man a wimp. What if its all, like, true or something?" Geoff butted in, trying to calm Duncan. Bridgette whispered a quiet 'thank you' under her breath, glad that he was at least trying to stand up for the kid.

"Psh, whatever man," Duncan replied, switching their conversation back to the upcoming game. Bridgette turned back to the others, casting Courtney a concerned glance.

"Court, why are you still so upset about Noah?" She tried to ask.

"Ugh, I don't expect you guys to understand. Besides, he's totally the reason Emma stopped talking to me, so I think I'm allowed to be pissed," Courtney glowered across the room at the teen. Oh boy, she shouldn't have said anything, but she didn't want to see Courtney stressed about something that, to her, seemed pretty insignificant. She knew that Emma and she had been close up until recently, so she did find herself curious about the reasons behind their falling-out. Courtney probably would never admit it out loud, but Bridgette knew that she admired Emma and looked up to her in a way.

"Yeah, but wasn't that around the time you started… You know, kinda going out with Duncan?" Trent spoke up, finally joining the conversation.

"That's totally not important! Duncan was never a jerk to Emma, but Noah basically ruined my life," Courtney managed to keep her cool as she spoke, face a cool mask. "Noah did not deserve the class presidency; everyone knows I worked harder than he did!"

"U-uhm, weren't we talking about that Morty guy?" DJ cut in, frantic to change the conversation before Courtney blew up. Courtney seemed to take the bait, dropping the subject of Noah and leaning in toward everyone as if they were conspiring or something.

"Did you know that he believes in aliens, and his grandfather can supposedly travel through portals or something? I've heard him talking about it with those other nerdy kids, and he doesn't even pay attention in class because he's too busy drawing creepy monsters and aliens and stuff." Courtney whispered to the other kids sitting around her. Most of them looked pretty skeptical, save for DJ, who looked a bit freaked out.

"There's no way all of that's true." Trent sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I don't know, dude, what if it is? That's some pretty crazy stuff." Geoff spoke around a mouthful of food.

"I-it can't be true, right guys? Like, time travel and aliens and all aren't real!" DJ's voice squeaked.

"It doesn't matter! The point is, he's a total weirdo and all of his friends are, too." Duncan interrupted.

"There's probably a better explanation than that," Bridgette piped up, "Maybe he just really likes Sci-Fi movies?" Leshawna and DJ nodded at that, but Duncan and Courtney still looked skeptical. Bridgette loved her friends, but sometimes some of them could be pretty nasty. She knew Courtney could be a pretty nice person, and Duncan… well, she didn't actually quite care for him. Most of the time she wondered what it was that Courtney saw in him, but she could never quite figure it out. Just so long as Courtney was happy, and as long as Duncan didn't target any of their friends, she guessed she could continue to tolerate his presence.

"Whatever, can we talk about something else now?" Trent said, attempting to change the subject.

"Yeah, DJ, hon, what did you put in these cookies?" Leshawna asked, taking another large bite. Bridgette went back to her own lunch, listening quietly as everyone returned to their conversation. She took one last peak over her shoulder at the other table. Morty and a few of the others were laughing together about something, and she briefly wondered if maybe they'd misjudged him and he was just an ordinary teenage boy. She just couldn't see him talking with aliens and doing crazy things with his grandfather.

Courtney frowned down at her lunch, ignoring the conversation at the table. How could they just brush of what she had just told them! The weirdo, Morty, was totally crazy! Her opinion of Noah had no influence on her opinion of Morty. She'd seen pictures online for god's sake! Whatever, if no one wanted to believe what she was saying, fine. They would all see soon anyway, there was just no way he could keep his crazy life a secret forever.

She watched as everyone around her chatted away and laughed together. She sighed a bit to herself, thinking back on what had happened with Emma. Emma and she had been pretty close recently, and she thought that it would never come to this. Courtney couldn't understand what her issue was with Duncan. He wasn't that bad, not really. He was just a bit hard-headed and straight-forward.

Courtney stared idly at the peas sitting on her tray, pushing them from one side to the next. She remembered back when she and Emma were closer, hanging out and gossiping just like the others sitting around her. They even studied together for their exams! Emma was just so hardworking and she never tolerated any nonsense. It was difficult not to admire her to some degree. But then Noah had to come along and screw it all up!

Courtney shoved herself away from the table, marching over to the trash to dump her food and return the tray. She could feel her face heating up and she was not about to freak out in the middle of the cafeteria. She could feel someone's eyes on her back as she stormed out into the hallway, but she easily brushed them off. It was either Bridgette, ever the worrier, or Heather trying to dig up new gossip. The feeling went away as soon as she turned to go down the hall, and she hurried into the nearest bathroom. Quickly checking each stall to make sure she was alone, she head over to the sink to splash some cool water on her face. She needed to calm down.

It wasn't just the president thing; Noah changed Emma's whole personality! All she talked about was her new boyfriend and their future life, or she would start agreeing to let her younger sister hang out with them as well. She just didn't seem like the same person anymore beyond remaining level-headed. She didn't have time to worry about these types of things with everything else going on at school. Re-elections for school president were coming up, and she wasn't go to lose again! Noah wasn't running this year, but Heather was putting her all into it.

This brought up a whole new wave of emotions, mostly frustration and anger. She was getting a bit fed up with coming in second to Heather in almost everything. They might have agreed that Noah didn't deserve to win class president last year, but that was probably the only thing they could agree on! Heather could just be so frustrating sometimes. She didn't care about her grades or study as hard as Courtney, but she always seemed one step ahead. All Heather had to do to get her way was bat her eyelashes and act all sweet around the right people. How had it come to this with Heather and Noah being more popular?

Courtney glowered at her reflection before heading to the library to study. She worked hard for her positions in clubs and on the cheer team, but she just couldn't beat Heather in anything. Well, this year it was going to be different. She was going to dethrone Heather one way or another, starting with the clubs. Heather didn't take any of them seriously, wasting time and energy gossiping and starting rumors. Courtney was tired of seeing goofy pictures of herself in the year book while Heather always looked perfect, and she was tired of listening to Heather rag on other students in the debate team. There were more serious issues to be debated than Suzie's new haircut!

Courtney flipped open a large text, a detailed history of the United States Government. It was a bit drab, sure, but she needed an A on this next AP history exam or her 4.0 might be affected. Courtney knew she was at the top of their class academically, so at least she had that. Besides, maybe at the next debate club meeting she could put some of this knowledge to use to make Heather look like a fool. It wasn't quite stooping to Heather's level, not if she plaid the situation smartly. Maybe she could even think of a catchy campaign slogan!

The library was blissfully quiet and devoid of students until the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Courtney moved her seat to the corner of the room, concealing herself behind a large stack of books. A few more government books, a sprinkling of law, whatever she had to do to get a perfect score. The quiet was shattered by the sound of lockers slamming and kids screaming down the hall to each other. How annoying. Couldn't this school put the library in a more secluded corner of the school? The door opened and a few other students filed in, voices quieting when the librarian gave a stern look. Courtney was about to go back to reading her books and taking some notes when a flash of color caught her attention. Looking up she saw that that Morty kid had just walked in.

Courtney hunkered down further, making sure he couldn't see her. Strange, she had never seen him come in here before. What was the weirdo up to now? After peeking over at him a few more times, she saw that he had set up at a nearby table, unaware of her watching. He looked to be waiting for someone, and Courtney wondered who it could possibly be? Sure, his friends were nerds, but they weren't studiers like she was, just really nerdy. If it was Noah that he was waiting around for, she might actually scream.

Instead, Courtney was surprised, and a bit shocked, to see Kitty walk into the library and make a beeline for his table. No way was she seeing this right now! Emma's little sister knew that guy? Courtney took out her phone, immediately texting Duncan and her friends about this new development. The two were sitting close, too close to be casual acquaintances. Were they dating? No way. They were probably just close friends, which was still totally weird. Courtney was still a bit too far away to hear anything that they were saying, but they appeared to be doing more quiet chatting than actual studying. Whatever it as, Emma's little sister was giggling into her hand and seemed to be pretty excited. Morty kept awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck and staring down at his feet. What a dork! Was he embarrassed about talking to a girl or was he always like this?

Courtney stayed hidden behind her books, afraid that if they caught a glimpse of her they'd catch on to her snooping. She looked down at her phone, rolling her eyes at Duncan's request to "send pics". She might think Morty was a strange kid, but she wasn't about to send pictures of him to Duncan to use as blackmail. Besides, even though she and Emma didn't really talk anymore, she still had respect for her family. She would just bring it up later with one of her friends. She went back to scratching down some more notes, but she kept an eye on the two until the bell rang again. They walked out together, shoulders nearly touching. Hmmmm.

Courtney checked out the books to continue studying at home, dropping them off at her locker. As she pulled out the notebooks for the rest of her classes that day, she spotted Heather sauntering down the hallway toward her.

"Oh, hey Courtney! I didn't see you standing there!" She practically cooed, smirking.

"Hey, Heather." Courtney ground out, doing her best to sound pleasant. A few students passing by stopped to watch the two, the tension in the air practically palpable.

"So a little birdie told me that you were going to try and run for class president again? It wasn't enough that you lost to Noah, but now you want to lose to me too? Why don't you just quit while you're ahead before you make an even bigger fool of yourself. By the way? I love the sweater you're wearing! It totally fits your 'grouchy grandma' aesthetic." Heather tossed her long black hair over her shoulder, letting out a sharp bark of laughter. Courtney bit her lip, forcing herself not to make a caustic remark. Do not stoop to her level, Courtney!

"Need I remind you, Heather, that you lost, too? Careful, if you lose again people might start to see you for the airhead you are." Some of the onlookers gasped, stalling in the hall to see if the two girls would start fighting. Courtney watched a gamete of emotions cross Heather's face, some identifiable, before settling on pissed.

"You'll regret that, Courtney. Don't forget who's in charge around here!" Heather aggressively shoved past her, heels clicking on tile as she sashayed back down the hall. Courtney tasted copper and realized that she had bit the inside of her cheek too hard. It was true! Heather was just in charge of too many things, if she didn't knock her down a peg soon, she could destroy Courtney's whole reputation!

Courtney slammed her locker shut, causing the onlookers to jump back, startled. A quick glare in their direction sent them scurrying off to their next class. The gall of that girl! To come at her like that while she was just standing at her locker minding her own business, and people had seen it all happen! Ugh she was definitely getting her back for that later. If Heather thought she could just threaten her like this and get away with it, she was mistaken.

Courtney tried to focus on her classes as the day passed, but there was just too much on her mind! Maybe she could accidentally drop Heather during one of their cheer stunts, or maybe she could sabotage one of her exams? No, the risk of getting caught was too high. Maybe she could try and sweet-talk her way into higher club positions? Maybe… She would definitely need to vent to someone today, but who? It would have to be one of her girlfriends because guys just didn't understand these types of things. Leshawna was probably out after today. Bridgette? She always seemed ready to listen, and she didn't totally hate Courtney's guts. Oh, how she wished she and Emma were still friends. Emma would know exactly what to do in this situation, know just how to outsmart Heather. Although, she probably wouldn't appreciate hearing Courtney talk shit about her younger sister's choice in friends.

She waited patiently until cheer practice that afternoon to bring it up. A few other clubs were meeting that day, yearbook committee included, so Heather was absent from practice that day. Courtney spotted Bridgette standing off on the sidelines, tugging at the skirt of her uniform and making a face. Courtney felt a little bad that Bridgette had somehow gotten sucked into this mess, but only a little since she was the one who let the guys convince her so easily. Hey, Bridgette, why don't you come over here. Bridgette looked a bit confused, perhaps wondering if she was in trouble (Courtney was co-captain of the team after all).

"Yeah? What's up?" She asked cautiously jogging over to the other teen.

"Don't worry, Bridgette, you're not in trouble or anything. I'm not Heather." Courtney rolled her eyes, patting Bridgette on the shoulder. At least neither of them cared much for Heather.

"whew, that's a relief! I think I'd be devastated if I got kicked off the team, and the guys would never let it go!" Bridgette joked.

"Ha-Ha, very funny," Courtney tried to be serious, but her smile gave it away.

"So, what'd you call me over here for?"

"Alright, so you know how I left lunch earlier? Well, I went to the library to study a bit, and you'll never believe who I saw there!"

"Hmm, was it… Heather?"

"Ugh, no! And before you say it, no, it wasn't Noah either. I'd be way more peeved now if either of them had interrupted me."

"Studying? Don't you mean spying?" Courtney gave Bridgette a look, and the blonde had the decency to at least attempt covering her snickers.

"Anyway, there I was when the bell rang and in walked that Morty kid. I've never seen him in there before, so I was intrigued to see why he had shown up today of all days."

"Maybe his grandpa gave him some crazy alien tech that lets him read people's minds and he heard you talking about him earlier," Bridgette joked again.

"Bridgette, focus! I haven't finished yet! So he was just sitting there by himself when Emma's younger sister, Kitty walked in and sat next to him. They were like, sitting super close and talking the whole time. They didn't even open one book! I couldn't really hear what they were saying from my position, but they're totally friends, or even something more, and it's super weird."

"Courtney, they're probably just friends, and it's probably not that weird." Bridgette countered, eyes briefly drifting up to look at the sky. There she went, probably daydreaming about the beach again.

"Maybe, but I don't think she should be friends with a guy like him. He's just way too dorky and awkward. Not only will he basically destroy her social life, he'll probably destroy her academic life as well, filling her head with fake science and things about alien creatures. Kitty will be dumb and unpopular!"

"Uh, don't you think you're being a bit… over dramatic? Besides, and I know you don't want to hear this, you're not even friends with Emma anymore, so why do you even care about who her little sister is friends with?" Courtney looked almost offended, spinning around to face Bridgette full on.

"I am allowed to still care about my ex-friends family a little bit. It's not her fault her sister started dating a lame guy! I just don't think that Morty and Kitty should be friends, that's all." Courtney ground her foot into the soil beneath her shoe, giving Bridgette a look that dared her to try and argue.

"Alright alright. If that's how you feel, fine, but don't go messing with other people's lives or anything. They're just a couple of nerdy kids, that's all. Besides, what if his grandpa is a total whack-job? Then he could like fry your brains with alien technology or something as revenge for messing with his grandson."

"Enough joking, his grandpa's probably just some normal boring old guy. I bet Morty just makes that shit up to seem cooler for his upperclassmen friends." Courtney shoved at Bridgette's shoulder. The joking could seriously be too much sometimes, but Courtney had really needed a pick-me-up after today.

The two girls quickly got back to practice after that. Practice continued smoothly for a while, but as they were starting to practice a few new tosses, a bright light across the field startled the team. Courtney squinted over, spotting an odd glowing circle thing. What the hell? She could hear a few kids from the windows of the school calling to ask what it was. Was it some sort of fire or something?

"Are seeing what I'm seeing?" Bridgette asked, stepping up beside Courtney.

"You mean the glowing circle in the middle of our football field? Yes." Courtney flatly replied. "Hey! You," she pointed to one of the other members of the team, "Go find coach and tell her there's a fire or something on the field. The rest of you, stand back!" Courtney shouted quickly taking charge of the situation.

"Wait, Court, look at it!" Bridgette gasped grabbing Courtney and spinning her around. There, emerging from the portal, was some… old man? He stumbled out of the green glowing, which immediately disappeared after he stepped through. He was dressed in some bizarre outfit that almost wanted to make her gag, but still somehow looked badass? His gross spindly hairy legs poked out from a pair of worn and jagged looking shorts, but his torso was covered with an armored vest with all sorts of odd things strapped to it. There was a thick pink goo splattered around him, but Courtney couldn't really tell what the substance was. Slime?

"W-what the *urp* what the fuck are you looking at?" He garbled, drool dripping down his chin. Had he not been armed with a pretty impressive looking gun (that glowed? What the hell was happening!), she would have cringed and called him gross. He reeked of alcohol, smoke, and something else. Clearly this man had just been up to some crazy stuff recently. He stumbled past the cheerleaders, nearly faceplanting into the soil on his way. He stopped at the edge of the field, raising the gun into the air, pulling the trigger and shooting into the sky. Courtney couldn't believe what she was seeing, and beside her Bridgette looked just as confused and alarmed. Out of the gun came not bullets, but some sort of concentrated laser.

"M-Morty! C-come on!" He shouted. A bunch of the students in the windows turned to one another, chattering lowly to each other.

"Mister Sanchez! You can't just show up on campus with a gun and dressed up for-for Halloween!" The red-faced principal shouted out from his office window. "Leave the premises before I call the authorities!"

"G-grandpa! What are you doing!?" Courtney couldn't believe it! There, running out onto the football field, wasn't just Morty, but Emma's little sister too! Morty looked mortified with what he was seeing, but otherwise unsurprised. Kitty even looked elated!

"W-we've talked about this, and ,um, I thought I-I asked you not to show up to school like this! You're totally embarrassing!"

"No way! It's like super cool and stuff! Quick, let's take a selfie," Kitty cheered spinning her and Morty around to take a picture with this Mr. Sanchez. Courtney didn't know whether or not to run over there and shake sense into Emma's crazy sister or to pull her away from an obviously insane drunk guy with a gun.

"C-come *urp* on. I came to pick you two up today. Jerry is somehow too busy, probably fell asleep on the toilet or some shit."

"Grandpa, gross!" Morty's face was absolutely white now, but next to him Kitty was just laughing.

"W-whatever," Mr. Sanchez pulled out another gun and aimed it at a random point behind Morty, firing. Another weird glowing green circle appeared, and the three of them didn't even hesitate before walking into it and vanishing. The glowing definitely-not-a-portal disappeared just as quickly as it appeared, and that was it.

Courtney stood there for a solid minute, at least, feet glued to the ground and eyes glued to the spot where the green thing had been. There was just no way it had been a portal. That wasn't scientifically possible! None of this was possible! There was no way the rumors were actually true, was there? Sure, Morty's grandfather was a drunk weirdo, but he also carried a bunch of weapons that definitely shouldn't exist and traveled through portals, which also definitely shouldn't exist!

She finally managed to drag her eyes away and look over to Bridgette. Bridgette looked just as shocked and freaked out as you would expect. The blond teen just slowly turned her head toward Courtney, mouth gaping but not producing any sound. Apparently, she was speechless.

"So, uh, that just happened, right?" She asked. Bridgette just replied by slowly nodding her head. Courtney didn't know what to think, but she suddenly felt very light-headed.

"Hey, did you guys see that!?" She heard Duncan's voice as a few of the football players ran over to check on them, Geoff and DJ included. DJ looked like he might have also been on the brink of fainting. "The rumors were true? All of that crazy shit was true? Oh my god, that kid's a freak!" Duncan sneered, wrapping an arm around Courtney's shoulders to steady her.

"Yo, dudes, that was like super weird." Geoff's face was a calm mask, but his voice held shock. He walked over to Bridgette to steady her as well. The group of teens just looked around at one another. Now what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoy this chapter! Like I said before, Bridgette and Courtney will have big roles in my story moving forward. But I wanted to introduce the other Total Drama characters and start setting up the subplots. As you can see, Courtney and Heather have a rivalry in my story and they both lost being Student Council President to Noah, that will be a important plot point later in my story.


	7. Summertime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Hello everyone. I'm back with a new chapter. This chapter will focus on Summer as she joins Heather's inner circle. As that obviously gives away, this means I'm putting the spotlight on Total Drama's first, most iconic, and most recognizable antagonist. The Queen Bee will have a big role moving forward, along with her friends Lindsay and Dakota.

Summer glowered down at her phone, flipping through her most recent text history. She was sitting outside on the bleachers, waiting around for cheer practice to start. It was still pretty early in the season, but she still had a hard time believing she was actually doing this. Try as she might, Summer just had a hard time seeing herself as a cheerleader at the moment. However, after recent events (her awkward brother making friends), she knew that this would be the easiest way to save her social life, or a pre-emptive way to keep it from crumbling.

It had taken years to get this high up on the social ladder. Years! She'd been cutting weirdo friends from her life and worming her way into the popular circles since elementary school, and she was so close to graduating and leaving this shitty little town! Why couldn't she just have a normal brother who made normal friends and hung out with his normal grandfather on the weekends like everyone else? She pulled absentmindedly at a loose thread in her skirt, looking at the other girls sitting in the bleachers around her, giggling as they chattered and gossiped.

Summer tried not to let her nerves show too much. Today was the day that she'd finally take the first step in her plan. She would approach Heather before practice and try to start a conversation. With luck, Heather would introduce her to her inner ring of friends and then she'd be in. She shyly glanced over toward the other end of the bleachers, spotting Lindsay and Dakota sitting together, most likely waiting for Heather to arrive. Summer knew that the two blondes were Heather's closest friends. The three sat together at lunch every day, and they could often be seen walking through the halls of the school together.

Summer frowned as she felt her nerves rising again. Lindsay was the prettiest girl in school, and Dakota was literally a celebrity! How could she possibly hope to get in with this crowd? Summer didn't really have anything going for her besides her own longstanding popularity. She didn't think of herself as super pretty, not like Lindsay, and she certainly wasn't as charismatic as Dakota. Was this a lost cause? No, she had to try! Sure, if she failed her social life would be ruined anyway, but if she succeeded? This could be the most important move of her high school life.

Self-consciously, Summer pulled at her own skirts again, reaching a hand up to run fingers through her ponytail. She took in the nice clean uniforms the girls were wearing, their painted nails, their perfect hair. That would be her one day. One of the pretty popular girls.

The downward spiral of her thoughts was interrupted when the two girls jumped to their feet, faces lighting up as they ran over to meet the new girl on the field. Heather. Summer could recognize that smug grin and black ponytail anywhere. Summer looked around as all of the other girls on the bleachers got up and started heading down to the field. Summer quickly jumped to her feet to try and get ahead of all the other girls. Stepping down onto the turf, she caught Heather's gaze over Lindsay's shoulder. This was it! Just act natural and don't be weird!

Summer refrained from waving her hand and smiling like a freshman, instead sending a cool nod and half grin in Heather's direction, praying it came across as cool and relaxed. After a moment's hesitation, Heather returned the gesture, motioning to her friends with her hand and… oh my god, was she heading this way!?

"Hey, it's Summer, right?" Heather asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "You new to the team?"

"U-um, yeah! Yeah, I just started this year." Summer attempted to reply smoothly.

"So, how do you like it so far?" Was this a test? This had to be a test or something. Lindsay was watching her intently, but her face just looked excited more so than anything. Dakota looked a bit disinterested, but she watched the event from the corner of her eye.

"It's pretty cool. I like it when everyone's eyes are on me," Summer flipped her own hair in response. Heather narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the answer for a moment before relaxing.

"I like the way you think, Summer. I'm sure you already know these two, Lindsay and Dakota?"

"Omg, it's like so nice to meet you! I'm Lindsay," the blond practically squealed, skipping the handshake and going right for a tight hug. Summer blushed when her face was practically smooshed into Lindsay's large… erm… breasts. Feeling a bit self-conscious again, Summer tried to smother the feeling. She wouldn't get jealous over something like this! "We are going to be great friends, I just know it!" Summer smiled a little at the embrace now, unused to such… grabby friends. She didn't know what she was expecting from the circle of popular girls, but this wasn't it. After thinking for a moment, Summer thought that she could be alright with that.

"I'm Dakota, but I'm sure you already knew that." It was a statement, not a question. Dakota gently shook her hand, finally smiling.

"You're with us today, Summer. You'll stand up front with us real popular girls and not those losers." Heather sighed, motioning the three into position before calling everyone else for practice. Summer peeked over her shoulder to see where Heather was looking and caught two other girls looking in their direction. She recognized Courtney and Bridgette, but she didn't really know those two well. Bridgette quickly looked away, saying something to the other teen. Courtney glowered over in their direction, eyes narrowed. Summer averted her gaze as well. She was probably just jealous that Heather hadn't chosen to talk to her or something.

Summer tried not to think about it too much though, focusing instead on the droll movements of practice. Heather shouted at and belittled the other girls, but that was just what popular girls like her did, what cheer captains did. She listened to Lindsay and Dakota occasionally make a funny joke or start up a bit of gossip when they weren't as busy. It was nice talking with them, and Summer found herself laughing along with them. For once, she actually enjoyed cheer practice.

After finishing their final toss, Summer headed over to the benches with her new friends. A few other athletes were filing out onto the field now having just finished their own practice. She spotted a few students jogging down the track, and a few others had started up a game of Frisbee. She could also see one of the football players, Duncan, and two other guys looking over in their direction.

Duncan was talking to the other two, or rather talking at them. Summer had heard he and Courtney had some sort of on-again-off-again fling going on, so his focus seemed to only linger on her for a few seconds before he was turned back to his friends. They, however, had been leering over in their direction for an uncomfortable amount of time now.

"Hey, Heather? Who are those two creeps?" Summer asked, pointing her thumb across the field.

"Who, the creeps hanging out with Courtney's gorilla boyfriend?" Heather spoke a little too loudly. Summer caught Courtney glaring in their direction again, Bridgette holding her back by the shoulders to prevent a confrontation. "The red-head kid is Scott. He's a total jackass, and Duncan's other lacky is Lightning."

Summer could remember seeing Scott sitting in the principal's on more than one occasion, and now that she knew his name, all sorts of rumors and stories came to the forefront of her mind. She had heard from one of the kids in her history class that he had once made a teacher cry. Now, she knew Lightning was pretty popular on the football team, but she hadn't realized that he was friends with these two. She quickly looked away from the three when Duncan started walking over.

"Oh great, here they come," Heather sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Let's get out of here. Practice is over anyway, so we can go hang at my place or something. I don't want to stick around here with these losers any longer than I have to."

"Haha, yeah, sure!" Summer hoped her laugh didn't sound too forced. These girls were tough! She wouldn't be able to pity the girls lower than her on the social ladder anymore. As they were walking away she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Aw, don't worry, Summer. Heather's not so bad! She actually cares deep deep deep down!" Lindsay tried to comfort. Summer nodded dumbly. Lindsay knew Heather better than she did, so she trusted her opinion.

"Where are we heading?" Summer asked, curious. She knew she should probably be heading home, but whatever. If her parents let Morty wander off with Grandpa all the time without saying something, she could go hang out with friends after school for a while. Who would even notice?

"Well, to the locker rooms first because I won't be caught dead anywhere in public wearing these stuffy uniforms. After that, we can go to the mall in the next town over." Summer cringed, thinking back to her grandfather's drunken rambling about stopping an invasion at the mall with Morty. She knew that it was probably them that destroyed the whole place, but there was no way in hell she was about to admit that.

The four girls walked back to the lockers, putting away their gear and getting changed. Summer was glad that she had thought ahead and brought a nice casual outfit with her. She wanted to dress to impress her new friends, and she definitely would. She had even brought, ugh, heels. Heels, her cutest pair of shorts, and the best top she could possibly get her hands on. She even undid her ponytails and shook the hair lose, something she hadn't done in public for a very long time.

Rounding the corner to where the other three were getting ready, nervously wringing her hands, she immediately noticed that she was severely underdressed and unprepared. Heather's outfit looked like it cost more than Summer's whole wardrobe, her pricey boots shining under the fluorescent lighting. She wore an even better pair of shorts, a crop-top, and hefted what had to be a $200 purse over her shoulder. She even had a great pair of sunglasses! Dakota was, if possible, dressed in an even more expensive outfit carrying a more expensive purse, and her makeup was, as usual, on point. Summer couldn't even begin to describe Lindsay. She was wearing a simple spring dress, but being the prettiest girl in school meant anything she wore looked immaculate. And, of course, once again Summer's envious gaze was dragged down to Lindsay's large boobs, peeking out through a window in the dress.

Dammit! What have I gotten myself in to!?

Heather looked over at her, taking her appearance in. Summer couldn't help but panic under the scrutiny. Was this it? Had she broken some sort of rule Heather has for her friends? Had she already compromised her position as one of the popular girls?

"Hm, needs work." Heather snapped her fingers and the other two girls followed her out. Summer floundered for a moment, trying to get over her shock before turning on her heels and catching up. That was all Heather had to say to her? That wasn't… too bad.

"Don't worry, I think your outfit looks really cute!" Lindsay stage whispered.

"Oh, uh thanks I guess." Summer's face heated a bit at the complement. Nobody had really ever complimented her clothes before! Usually she dressed more plainly, relying on her sardonic attitude and keen awareness of the latest rumors in school to maintain her popularity. Having someone actually compliment her like this was nice.

The four girls packed up into Heather's car before leaving for the mall. Summer learned so much more about her peers in that short car ride than she had from anyone else she'd known. Heather knew every rumor, every little bit of gossip, it was all rather impressive. To herself, Summer wondered if she was aware what other girls, girls like Courtney, said about Heather behind her back. Being at the top of the social ladder, Summer thought that she had to at least know some of it. Most people thought she was a bitch, and, well, Summer just didn't see it right now. Heather had let her into their elite group of friends, just like that! She had just met them all, and already they were going out to the mall to hang out! Courtney was definitely just jealous, and those other kids had to be wrong.

They arrived at the mall and made a beeline for the food court. Summer decided to treat them to fruit smoothies as a sign of gratitude for their new friendship, and then they commenced people watching. This, she was used to. People-watching at the mall was always fun, especially with a couple girlfriends. Summer recognized a few kids from their school that decided to migrate to this new mall as well. Heather pointed out their bad hair, their frumpy clothing, anything that didn't quite meet her standards.

"Look at that girl's hair. Omg yuck! It looks like something my mom would have when she was in high school." Heather pretended to gag, pointing at a girl with what looked like a poorly done perm. Summer had known the girl since elementary school, and she almost felt bad laughing, but this was just what girls like Heather, like her, did.

"Omg, look! It's Tyler!" Lindsay practically squealed, nudging Dakota and Summer with her elbows. Summer looked across the court and spotted a few of the other athletes sitting around together. She had a study hall with Tyler, and she could easily pick the brunette out. He wasn't actually that great at sports, and he usually spent most of the season benched. It wasn't that he lacked passion or motivation, he was just a bit too clumsy. He also wasn't the brightest student, but he was good-natured and hard-working. Out of every guy in their class to have a crush on, Tyler certainly wasn't the worst. When Tyler looked up and gave Lindsay a little wave, the blonde practically fainted. Summer was about to make a little teasing remark to her new friend when Heather butted in.

"Stop acting like a love-struck freshman, Lindsay. You're too good for a kid like Tyler." Heather scoffed. "I mean, look at him! He dresses like he's someone important on the team, but all he's good for is keeping the bench warm."

"But he's really nice, and he's funny, and-" Lindsay's defense was cut short as Heather quickly interrupted her.

"and he's a dumbass. You know what? I take it back. You two would be perfect for each other!" Heather abruptly shoved her chair back, grabbing her purse from the table and stalking away. "Come on, we have better things to do today than drool over Tyler." Summer was once again left floundering as the other two quietly got up and obediently followed after Heather. She couldn't believe what she had just heard! Were the other kids right? Was Heather usually like this, even to those she considered a friend? Summer suddenly wasn't so sure she wanted to be here anymore.

Lindsay seemed to be dragging her feet now, and her smile had dimmed significantly. Summer caught her send one last wistful look toward Tyler before shifting her gaze back down to the floor. Heather continued talking to them as if that whole thing hadn't just happened, pointing out different clothes or shoes in windows that would look so much better than the "garbage" Summer was currently wearing. It wasn't until they actually stepped into a clothing store that Summer could speak to Lindsay away from the other teen.

"Hey Lindsay, are you doing okay?" Summer wasn't going to say anything, was just going to mind her own business, but those slumped shoulders and watery eyes pleaded for an intervention of some kind! Besides, Summer couldn't help but feel a little guilty for not stepping in and saying something earlier.

"O-oh, yeah, of course!" Lindsay replied after some obvious hesitation. She swiped the back of her hand over her eyes, trying to wipe away tears before they had the chance to fall. Unfortunately, this also meant that she ended up smearing her eyeliner and mascara as well.

"Okay, clearly you aren't fine, so let's go get you cleaned up and you can tell me about it." Summer gently guided the other girl to the bathrooms, careful to avoid as many people as possible, especially Heather. She did catch a glimpse of Dakota at one point, but she wisely bit her tongue. Summer thought she might have caught a look of understanding pass her features, but it was gone as soon as it arrived, replaced by her usual look of indifference and snide superiority.

"Alright, so what happened back there? I thought that you and Heather were friends?" Summer dug around in Lindsay's purse, pulling out a few make-up wipes, passing them to the now obviously distraught teen.

"W-we are! I think? Heather's usually nice to Dakota and me, but then other times she's just so… so mean!" Lindsay scrubbed at her eyes with the wipes before leaning up against the counter. "She just doesn't see what I see in Tyler, and she thinks I'm so dumb for liking him, but I'm not dumb and I know she just doesn't want her own reputation hurt. H-he's just so nice and I really like him, but Heather's my friend still and I don't want to ruin that. She won't even let us talk! Every time she sees us together, she has to but in and try to pull me away or scare him off! It's just not fair, but I don't know what else to do." Lindsay's shoulders visibly relaxed after lifting that weight from them. Summer had the sneaking suspicion that Lindsay had had these feeling bottled up for quite some time, but never had anyone to talk about them with. Summer carefully laid a hand on her shoulder, already trying to think of a plan to help her.

Confronting Heather was obviously out of the question. That would be social suicide! Telling Lindsay to just say 'fuck it' and talk to Tyler anyway was also out of the question as this would invoke Heather's wrath, and Heather was not somebody to mess with. She had her fingers in everything from yearbook to the cheer team! If Heather knew that she was up to something, she could kick her off the team or put embarrassing photos in the yearbook! Alright, Summer, you have to play this smart. Even if this ruins your social life, you can't let Heather continue to treat her friends like this.

"What if… what if I distract her here, and you can go meet up with Tyler! If she starts to get suspicious, I'll just tell her you thought you left your purse back in the food court!" Summer mentally congratulated herself for thinking up such a genius plan. Lindsay contemplated the idea for a moment before she was practically beaming again.

"You would do that? That could totally work!" Before she could blink, Summer was knocked back as Lindsay tackled her with a hug. "You're so much nicer than Heather is, thank you so much, Summer."

"No problem, it's what friends do, right?" Lindsay nodded before grabbing her purse and, dare she say it, skipped out of the restrooms. Summer waited for a bit before leaving as well, scanning the store for Heather. She eventually spotted her looking at shoes, staring at the reflection of her feet as she tried on a few pairs.

"Hey, Heather? If it's not too much trouble, could you help me pick some stuff out? I'm just having a hard time deciding what I want to pick up." She easily lied. Summer thought the way she dressed was actually pretty okay, and besides, she thought that most of this 'high-end' fashion stuff looked cheesy.

"Of course, dear. I'm always willing to help a friend turn her wardrobe from drab to fab." Heather quickly disposed of the shoes she was looking at before grabbing Summer and dragging her further into the store. She noticed that most of the things Heather picked up were things that she would like, and not at all anything that would look flattering for Summer. Whatever, she didn't have to enjoy this, she just had to keep Heather occupied for an hour or so, and at the rate she was shoving clothes into Summer's arms, it wouldn't be hard. They even regrouped with Dakota at some point, although neither really took notice of Lindsay's absence.

Summer briefly wondered if Dakota was like Heather, or if she was more like Lindsay. She never said anything really mean or derogatory about Summer's appearance, or that of another shopper, unless pressured by Heather. Did she have some sort of secret relationship, too? Was she just as fed up with or afraid of Heather as Lindsay was? She would have to try and get the two girls away from the head of their pack for a bit to really get to know them. Heather was clearly a bad influence, and it was now obvious that these two weren't really her friends.

Suddenly, Summer thought of herself in Heather's place. This wasn't what she wanted. Sure, popularity sounded great, but she didn't think she could survive with hollow relationships like this. What Heather shared with Lindsay and Dakota wasn't friendship, and Summer sure as hell didn't want to end up as alone and mean as her. She would have to rethink this plan. Popularity could wait, right now she needed to help Lindsay!

"Here, that should be plenty! You could totally just trash your entire wardrobe and wear this stuff instead. Then you'll fit right in!" Heather giggled, setting a large sun hat on the very top of the pile. Summer struggled under the weight of it all, but she smiled and carried it all into the dressing room with her.

"I'll try it all on, but I think I might need you to stick around. You know, just to give me your opinion on the outfits and all?"

"You girls are helpless sometimes. I'll stay if you want, but hurry up! I don't want to spend my whole night sitting in here." Heather complained, making an overdramatic show of tossing herself down on the bench and setting down her own bags. Summer smiled again, more so at her own success this time, before heading in. Lindsay owed her big time for this. She loved trying on new clothes, but not to this extent! There was no way she was actually going to buy, let alone wear, any of this! No matter, she took her sweet time putting on every single article of clothing, coming out and putting on a show in the mirror. Might as well have a little fun with this. Besides, it seemed to piss Heather off as she wasted time posing and snapping a few pictures.

By the time the second hour was nearing, Summer swore Heather was ready to blow a fuse. She herself was bored to death, but she needed Lindsay to return. She was relieved when, at about that time, the blond finally returned from her secret rendezvous. Dakota also returned, a few bags from different stores dangling from her arms.

"So, what are you going to get?" She innocently asked. Summer grinned, making sure to keep the smugness out of her voice.

"Well, I don't really know. It all looks so good, of course, but I just don't think I brought enough money with me today for all of it. I might just pick up… this!" She plucked the sun hat from the bench beside Heather and placed it atop her head. Heather audibly groaned, and both Lindsay and Dakota giggled. Heather was more quiet as they continued through the mall, seething. Lindsay looked to be back to her old self again, as bubbly and smiley as always. Even Dakota's face had smoothed into a small smile. It might have only been a small victory, but it was a victory nonetheless.

Before heading home, she made sure to get the girl's numbers (she would delete Heather's later). She texted with Lindsay that night, asking about how her "date" with Tyler went. They even texted about not-boy related topics such as what movies they seen recently or what, besides cheer, they did for fun. Summer made sure to leave out any details about her crazy family; that discussion was for another day, not the first night she met someone. She even got a cryptic text from Dakota thanking her for helping Lindsay in an odd round-about way. The other teen eventually opened up, finally away from Heather's presence, about her own secret relationship with Sam and how it was putting a strain on her friendship with Heather. She also apologized for coming across as rude; she just didn't want to piss Heather off.

It was nice to have friends, and that's what they were now, friends. She could only hope to break the shell of arrogance surrounding Dakota and help her leave her toxic friendship with Heather as well, but Summer suspected that that would require small, slow steps. As for Lindsay, she found herself not really caring too much about what others thought of it. She wasn't friends with Lindsay because she was popular, she was friends with her because they had things in common and she was a genuine individual. Rolling onto her side to go to bed, Summer wondered what tomorrow would bring. Would Heather try to enact some kind of petty revenge, or was she oblivious to what had happened that night? Was she aware that her two closest friends were cutting ties with her?

Walking into school the next morning, whatever it was that she was expecting, it wasn't this! Heather was out for a family trip, so in her absence Lindsay and Dakota could freely hang out with her. The other two girls spoke animatedly with her whenever they passed her in the hall, and they even sat together for lunch! Neither of them said anything about her bland clothing or her boring ponytail. In fact, they complimented her shoes and invited her to a movie later. Summer found herself caring less about what the other kids in their class were saying about her, especially as more of them seemed to take notice of her with her new friends. Even her dweeb brother stuttered out a comment about her being friends with the prettiest girl in the school and an actual actress. Summer easily brushed off the comments. She was, for once, just happy to sit and talk with her friends.

Courtney couldn't believe it! The nerve of Heather to say that about her boyfriend when she was standing right there. If Bridgette hadn't been there to hold her back and furiously whisper to not start shit in the middle of the field, she would have marched over and knocked Heather on her ass right where she stood. To make the whole situation worse, that Morty freak's older sister was trying to buddy up to them! Why would anyone want to be friends with Heather!? Their whole family was screwing up her life!

"I can't believe this, Bridgette! First her little brother starts getting cozy with Kitty, and now Summer is getting cozy with Heather and her Barbie friends!" Courtney ranted, stalking back and forth in her bedroom, hands flying as she furiously ranted to Bridgette. The blonde was relaxing on her bed, fluffy pillow tucked under her head as she patiently listened. "These two are ruining my life, Bridgette! There is something seriously wrong with that family and I don't like them butting into my business like this." Bridgette bit her tongue. It was best to just listen and nod. If she pointed out that Courtney was making it her business and that the siblings weren't going out of their way to do anything to Courtney, she would just get her head verbally chewed off.

"There has to be something we can do, right? I mean, that grandfather of theirs clearly belongs in an institution, or-or should be in prison or something! He's dangerous, and I'm concerned about the safety of all those other kids involved, especially Emma's little sister. What if she gets seriously injured or lost? I'll be responsible for not stepping in sooner and putting an end to it all!" Why couldn't anyone else see the issue here? Sure, she had a few other motivations behind bringing this up, and she sure as hell had a few biases against Morty, but wasn't this type of thing dangerous? Illegal, even?

"Alright, Courtney, maybe you're right, but you need to try and calm down first." Bridgette took a deep breath, aiming to guide her friend through the calming exorcise. Emma knew the Courtney was just pissed about the whole falling out thing with Emma still, but Morty was just a kid. There was no reason to take this misguided anger out on his family. However, that didn't mean her concerns weren't totally unfounded. She did bring up a few good points, after all. If the rumors were all true, and it appeared that they were if last week's debacle was anything to go by, then there were some very real dangers.

"I-I just don't know what to do, Bridgette. Do you think Emma would even listen to me if I told her about Morty putting her little sister in danger? Would she even want to?" There was a desperate edge to Courtney's voice that Bridgette didn't like to hear. Maybe this whole thing with Emma was more serious than she had originally thought, or maybe all of the combined stress was finally getting to the other girl.

"There's not much I can do to help other than be there for you. This is all a bit over my head, over all of ours if I'm being honest. Travelling to other dimensions? Aliens? If you had told me a month ago that all of that was real, I would have probably laughed. Of course Emma won't believe you, nobody that hasn't seen it will, but that doesn't mean you can't at least try. You'll just beat yourself up about it or feel guilty if something does happen."

"You're right, Bridgette, as always. You're such a good listener, you know that?" Courtney was grateful that she had somebody like Bridgette here to talk to. That's something she knew Heather lacked, and that's what made them different.

"You want me to come with? I'll be there for moral support, and I'll try to back up any crazy claims you make. I mean, we both saw what happened, and we can't both be wrong." Bridgette comfortingly pat her friend on the back as she finally relaxed and sat down. "Now, how about tonight we just stuff our faces with chocolate ice cream and watch dumb movies. We can talk to Emma after class tomorrow."

"That's a great idea, you're the best!" Courtney grabbed a few pillows and blankets from her bedroom before heading downstairs to plop on the couch in front of the TV. Bridgette went to fetch the spoons and ice cream, glad that she was successful in calming Courtney down. She had a bad habit of riling herself up over a lot, and to get her to calm down enough for a movie night was no small feat. Hopefully things would go well tomorrow. Bridgette didn't know if she would be able to deal with the fallout if Courtney and Emma actually fought.

When the next day rolled around, Courtney and Bridgette were both rather, well, shocked to say the least. There were whisperings of something going down between the top dog herself, Heather, and her two friends. Courtney wouldn't have believed it had she not seen Summer hanging around with the other two girls all day. Speaking of, Lindsay and Dakota actually looked…happy? At ease? Something had definitely shifted in their group, but Courtney couldn't find it in herself to care right now. She would confront them about it another day, maybe even rub it in Heather's face that her two closest friends were growing closer with Morty's sister. She'd never quite been on their level when it comes to popularity, but it seemed befriending Lindsay had skyrocketed her popularity overnight.

"Wow, I never could have seen that coming. She was such a fumbling jittery mess yesterday trying to approach them. I can't believe Heather actually let her hang out with them!"

"Hm, it just goes to show that you can't always judge a book by its cover." Bridgette replied smoothly, pointedly looking at Courtney.

"Y-yeah yeah, I guess. Still doesn't make it any less surprising." Courtney replied, trying to ignore Bridgette's words. "Come on, I still need to figure out what to say to Emma because 'hey, your sister might get shot by an alien someday' is bound to immediately turn her away and make us sound crazy."

"I would leave out the part about aliens. Maybe just tell her Morty's family is trouble? Leave it vague, but not vague enough that Emma won't get the warning. She's smart. I'm sure she'll look into it all by herself." Bridgette offered. She had to stay calm and think about this logically because, in her panic, Courtney sure as hell wouldn't be.

The end of the day couldn't have arrived soon enough, yet at the same time it still felt too soon. Courtney could feel her chest tighten as she spotted Emma heading to the library for some after school studying. She would probably be up to her nose in law books by now, well on her way to law school. Courtney found herself hesitating by the door, but Bridgette reassuringly urged her onward.

As predicted, Emma was already pulling a few hefty textbooks out of her backpack, studying up for an exam in one of the college courses she had enrolled in for the semester. Nervously gulping, Courtney put on her most confidant façade and walked right up to Emma's table, Bridgette close on her heels.

"Emma, it's been a while." Emma only glanced up briefly, sighing and turning back down towards her books after spotting who was standing in front of her.

"Courtney. Bridgette. Come to complain about my choice in boys again?" She spat, scratching down a few notes. Bridgette poked Courtney in the ribs before she could make a regretful remark, quietly reminding her of their purpose for being here.

"I-I'm not here to fight, Emma. I just wanted to," deep breath, "talk."

"Oh really? That's a first." Emma snickered, flipping the page and continuing to avoid eye contact with the two girls. This frustrated Courtney to no end, so Bridgette decided to intervene and loudly cleared her throat. Finally, Emma looked up to glare at the two. "You're interrupting my studying, so do you want to tell me why you're really here because it isn't for a friendly chat."

"Well, because I still have some degree of respect for you, I just wanted to warn you about something." Courtney forced out, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other. This seemed to pique Emma's interest, and she dropped the glare in favor of a raised eyebrow. Bridgette sighed with relief. They weren't fighting yet, which was good. Hopefully their conversation could remain this civil and she won't have to step in any further.

"Your little sister's been hanging around with this kid recently, and I'm just worried he's going to get her into trouble."

"You mean that Morty kid? I already know about that, Courtney. They've been studying together at my place for a while now. If you thought I didn't know about this, you're wasting your time, and, more importantly, you're wasting my time."

"I know you think he's a great kid, Emma, but take a look at his attendance record. His drunk grandfather constantly pulls him out of the middle of class, and he's always driving him and his friends around. I'm not telling you what to do about it, but I'm just warning you to keep an eye on your little sister." Courtney took another calming breath, getting it all out before she could regret it or run away from the situation. Emma seemed doubtful, but after some thought she replied.

"Thank you for your concern, Courtney. I'll keep an eye on her, I promise. Now, if you don't mind?" She motioned back to the open books, an obvious cue to the other teens. Bridgette nodded at Courtney and the two turned around and practically fled the library. Emma watched their backs as they went until the doors shut behind them. She looked back down at the book, but the motivation to continue reading had suddenly left her. She had been concerned about her little sister already, especially because she never really talked about this Morty kid beyond their studying. There was obviously something that she had missed, and others had picked up on it before she had.

Emma closed her books, making the decision to stop the study session before it had even begun. She would have to look into this more. If that kid or his family was putting Kitty in danger, she'd make sure to put an end to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: So, did you enjoy the chapter? To summarize, Summer has become close friends with Lindsay and Dakota and is questioning if popularity is worth it. This will become a major piece of Summer's development in this story. At the same time, another ongoing plot point will be Bridgette and Courtney warning Emma about Morty and Rick, spurring Kitty's older sister to investigate the odd duo.


	8. Hanging out with Harold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Hello everyone, here a new chapter. This chapter focus on Morty and Harold. Morty would learn more about his new group of friends while Harold would learn more about Morty adventures with Rick.

"Come on, not again!" Morty groaned as he lost again to his friend, Harold. The two teens were sat cross-legged in the living room of Morty's house playing video games on his new X-Box, a large assortment of snacks and soft drinks spread out on the coffee table and carpet before them. Up on the screen, two space ships battled an alien invasion, firing off an assortment of laser cannons and guns, mini explosions lighting up the otherwise darkened room. Morty had been saving up his allowance for weeks, and after Rick had paid him $50 to keep his mouth shut about their recent adventure with Kitty, he could finally afford the new platform and a few cool new games.

Definitely worth it, he thought to himself, biting the inside of his cheek. This was a great way to hang out with his friends. They all expressed interest in gaming to some degree, and he was excited to finally have a way to participate. Maybe he would invite all of their other friends some time as well? Harold was just the first he connected with, and he didn't know if it would be too overwhelming to have all the guys over at once for a boisterous day of gaming and watching movies. Small steps.

The two boys were dressed down in their pajamas, choosing to forego propriety with the lack of anyone else's presence in the house. Morty was wearing his usual yellow t-shirt and a pair of warm plaid pajama pants. A pair of mismatched socks covered his feet, but he couldn't care less. Harold was wearing Star Wars themed pajamas himself, a pair of fuzzy Chewbacca slippers on. It was going to be a long day, and hopefully night, of hanging out and gaming. The redhead had even brought his collector's edition of Star Wars DVDs to watch if they grew bored of the games.

The house was, for once, empty and blissfully quiet save for their own cheers and the pew pew of guns firing up on the screen. His mom was away for the weekend with work, like usual, and Summer was over at her new friends' house. Morty was still shocked when he learned exactly who it was Summer was hanging out with! Thank god it wasn't Heather, but how the hell had she become friends with the hottest girl in school and a celebrity!?

N-not that she was hotter than Kitty, or -er- not that Kitty w-wasn't hot or anything, but, aw geez… Morty tried to turn his blushing face away from Harold, hoping the other teen wouldn't notice and ask questions, but he was too wrapped up in celebrating his victory to notice Morty's sudden blushing. How embarrassing! He might have tried to help with Harold's girl problems, but he definitely did not want to talk about his own right now.

Rick was, he guessed, off planet again. It wasn't like he went out to "drink with his friends" like a normal grandpa often, if at all. In fact, Morty was pretty certain Rick would sooner invite them all over to their house for a crazy party before he sat around in some boring sports bar. No, he was probably away pissing off other-worldly politicians or galactic police, as he does. His dad was out running errands or something. Honestly, Morty never really paid much attention to where his dad went.

It wasn't very often when Morty had the house to himself, and he was glad for it this time as he could avoid any awkward or snide comments from his family. Rick would no doubt point out the fallacies and flaws of the game they were playing, everything from the look of the ships to the physics, and Summer would probably call them nerds and make some underhanded comments. His mom would hover and ask too many weird questions, and his dad was almost incapable of behaving normally near his friends. Not for the last time, Morty lamented about why he couldn't have a normal family like everyone else.

"Don't be such a sore loser," Harold laughed, playfully nudging Morty's shoulder. Morty shoved back, grabbing some potato chips off the coffee table and stuffing them into his mouth. Another plus in the situation, with no supervision they could eat any and all of the junk food in the house that they wanted. Morty had scrounged up every bag of chips, every box of sweets, literally anything he could find. He didn't want to admit it, but he had maybe panicked and taken out too much food and drink. It wasn't like this was a regular thing for him to be doing, and he really didn't know how to go about it all. Besides, Harold didn't seem to mind. The redhead had actually complimented Morty on his foresight to grab such a variety of snacks.

"I bet you've done cool things like this with your grandpa, yeah? Like, fly around in cool space ships that shoot lasers and all?" Morty hesitated, thinking back on all of their bizarre adventures. Had they?

"U-uh yeah, probably? I dunno, I've just done so much crazy shit, gone to so many different places, it all starts to blend together at some point. Y-y'know?" Morty looked over when he only received silence, expecting maybe a nod of agreement or an amazed smile, but all he saw was a look of… longing? Disappointment? A mix of both? Before he could say something or ask what was wrong, Harold had already turned back to the screen and started a new match.

Morty frowned, not really having any idea what do to about that. He still wasn't the best at reading people, let alone comforting them, especially when he didn't know the cause. Hm, he'd have to pay closer attention to his friend tonight and try to figure out what was bothering him. He might suck at comforting people, but that didn't mean he couldn't try!

Harold stared resolutely at the screen. Had Morty noticed the look on his face? Oh man, how lame he must have looked! He didn't want Morty to think he was really jealous or anything. Well, he sorta was, but that wasn't why he came here. The last thing he wanted was to make the other teen feel bad!

He felt a bit guilty about his motives, but who wouldn't want to try and get in on all of the action that Morty and his grandfather were involved in? Besides, sitting around and playing videogames was still fun, and he was enjoying his time here. Morty was easy to get along with, and Harold liked joking with him and swapping stories, even if he sometimes exaggerated his own to seem cooler. However, going into space, or seeing another dimension? The idea was constantly at the back of his mind as it was just too exciting to think about!

Harold was positive that he would never get to experience something that amazing in his life ever again, and he didn't want to miss the chance. He wanted, so desperately, to get the chance to be as cool and interesting and heroic as Morty. After the mall incident, his friends couldn't stop talking about it! Harold would be the first to admit, he might have been a bit jealous of the other at the time. Now, if only he could figure out how to ask Morty, or rather, convince him that it was a good idea without being too obvious about it.

He couldn't just ask his new friend 'oh hey, you know those totally epic yet insanely dangerous missions you go on with your grandfather? Yeah, could you take me, the incredibly inexperienced and naïve teenager with you sometime?'. Yeah, no, that wouldn't go well at all. Besides, it wasn't like he was totally inexperienced. He had an extensive knowledge of all things science fiction (although, how much of it would hold up against the real deal was another thing), and he had martial arts training. He wasn't completely defenseless, and, feeling guilty again, he thought he could probably actually hold his own better than Morty if it came to it. The other teen just didn't have any formal hand-to-hand combat training, and he was even smaller than he was! Although, he could remember Morty holding a gun and fearlessly slaughtering aliens to save his own friends. Harold didn't know if he could wield a gun like that, let alone actually kill something, even if that something was an alien trying to take over the world.

"Hey man, so like, has your grandpa always been like this?" Harold off-handedly asked, trying to start up the conversation again. It was an honest question, but if it got Morty to reveal more about his fantastical life, he wasn't going to complain.

"I don't r-really, uh, really know actually. He was absent f-for most of my life until recently." Morty mumbled and ended it there. Harold glanced over, dividing his attention between the screen and Morty. His posture was a bit stiffer now, and he seemed reluctant to elaborate any further. Strange. They seemed pretty close now, but Harold didn't want to pry his friend for answers.

"Do you have other friends, out in space and stuff I mean, or maybe in another dimension?" Harold asked, switching the topic. Morty's posture seemed to relax, but his face was still uncomfortable.

"U-um not really. They're m-mostly grandpa Rick's friends, not mine. Aw geez, I guess technically I'm f-friends with Snuffles, or, er, whatever they call him now." Morty sheepishly rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Snuffles? You named your dog after a cool alien guy?" Harold snickered. Morty rolled his eyes, finally smiling himself, face brightening a bit.

"N-not really. The alien guy is Snuffles. My dog didn't actually run away the other week. U-um, my dad was being a real ass with him peeing on the floor, so my grandpa gave him this helmet thing that boosted his intelligence or something. Well, aw geez, h-he ended up becoming some crazy dog overlord or despot who tried to enslave all of humanity, but he ended up leaving the planet with some other dogs. It was p-pretty heavy shit, especially since he was, er, well he was my pet dog." Harold couldn't believe what he was hearing! He wasn't mad that Morty had lied to him, to all of them. He couldn't blame the other teen for not telling his new friends about his psycho pet dog, after all, Morty didn't know if they would believe him. This story was just too good to be true though! His dog, the family's pet dog, lived out in outer space on another planet!?

"That's rough, buddy." Harold gave his friend a consoling pat on the back, but all he could think about was how cool it would have been to see this all himself!

"You have no idea." Here, Morty went into further detail. Harold schooled his features so that he showed nothing but concern, hiding his rapidly growing excitement. "The dogs, um, were wearing these huge robotic suits to m-move around in, and they were able to create these realistic world states, with some help from this weird dream-device thing Rick was using. It w-was like Inception level confusing, but it all worked out in the end I guess. Again, um, except for the part where I d-don't have a dog anymore. He's happier now though, so th-that's good." The dogs even wore badass mecha suits!? If he was so inclined, Harold thought that Morty could write a great, albeit hilarious, story about the whole event. How many times had this kid faced death or near destruction in order to save humanity and the planet?

"Maybe I could come with you to a rescue and you could adopt a new dog?" Harold offered. He himself would have been traumatized if he lost a dog like that.

"And risk the same shit happening all over again? N-no thank you. My dad is too petty and I don't trust that the dog wouldn't get mixed up in any of grandpa Rick's experiments."

"Fair enough," Harold laughed.

Morty shook his head at his friends increasingly eager questions. He couldn't hold it against the other teen, who wouldn't be excited by such out-there stories. His life was a living example of some whacky sitcom! He quietly wished that Harold would give him a break from the questioning so he could get a few of his own in. J-just a small one! He would gladly retell all of his stories to Harold if he wanted.

Morty knew that he had other motives for inviting Harold over for the day, but he wasn't about to admit that out loud. It wasn't that he didn't like hanging out with Harold and playing videogames, of course that was fun, but he wanted to know more about the guy and the other teens that he now called friends. It seemed like he was learning more every day about them, but there were still so many questions he had! He'd never had… friends before. Not like this. Asking grandpa Rick questions about his past or interests usually involved weird and uncomfortable answers or flat-out dismissal, so he took to just learning from his mom, Rick's other friends, or simple observation. Now, if only he could think of a way to ask him these things without making it totally awkward!

"S-so how did you meet the other guys?" Morty hesitantly asked. Dammit! That still sounded weird and out of the blue! Nice going, Morty. Might as well start with something easy and just hope that Harold reveals more information. Harold paused the game, setting the controller down and shifting so that he was completely facing Morty.

"Dude, you're going to have to be more specific than that," he snickered. "Why don't we start some of these movies instead and I can tell you all about them. This might take a while, so you had better settle in for the long haul." Morty nodded, getting up to start the movie and put their game away. Harold got up himself, clearing away some of the trash and making himself comfortable on the couch. Morty sat on the couch as well, grabbing the remote and settling in for what he hoped would be a great story, or at least something that revealed more about his friends' character. "Where do you want to start?"

"Alright, who have you known the longest?"

"That's easy, Sam! The others I've only known pretty recently, but I've been friends with Sam since elementary school, so for as long as I can remember, but not nearly as long as Noah and Dawn. Those two have known each other since before school. I think they were like neighbors or something, or maybe their families were friends. Anyway, Sam and I bonded almost immediately, we just had so much in common! We were both super awkward kids with almost no other friends, so we were out at recess when I met him. I was playing with some Pokémon cards, don't laugh, and he came over to see what I was doing. Turns out, we liked the same games, the same cartoons, everything! We've been friends ever since. The other kids thought we were kinda weird, so it took a bit for the others to join our geeky little club."

Morty tried to imagine a tiny Sam and Harold as friends, playing cards on the playground. The picture his mind created was way funnier than it should have been. Morty smothered his laughter at the mental image by taking a sip of his soda, nodding his head for Harold to continue. He could hear the movie playing in the background, but his focus was completely on what Harold had to say.

"It was actually Noah who joined our group next. We didn't know it at the time, but apparently Dawn convinced him to do it. I guess he was really antisocial and stuff when he was younger, still is if you couldn't tell, so Dawn encouraged him to get out of his comfort zone and talk to new people. I'm glad she did because he's been a great friend. Naturally, Dawn joined soon after he did. You could never be friends with one but not the other back then."

"So, are Dawn and Noah like, um…" Morty lowered his voice to a whisper, "close?" Harold narrowed his eyes suspiciously, perhaps gauging whether or not he should spill about this particular secret, before leaning in conspiringly.

"Alright, but you didn't hear this from me, got it?" Morty nodded. "Okay, so apparently, they really bonded in the beginning over their shared love of dogs, who would have thought? Maybe their families went to the same dog park or something, I don't know, but that's beside the point. Anyway, obviously, a love of dogs can't maintain a friendship forever, so they grew closer in other ways. According to Noah, she was the only person at the time who could tolerate his sarcasm and rather withdrawn personality. She never really tried to change him beyond encouraging him to talk to us. She doesn't try to make him 'nicer' or whatever, and she doesn't force him to go to parties or hang out with a bunch of random people. As for Dawn, she likes that he accepts all of her quirks and oddities, and then she told me something about his aura being stable. I don't really get any of that aura stuff, but I guess it's a good thing." Morty nodded, awed. He could only hope that someday he'd be able to have a bond as strong as that with his new friends.

Thinking back, the two did seem close, or at least a bit closer than the others. He briefly wondered if maybe there was more between them than friendship, but he wasn't really one for gossip or speculating about his friend's romantic lives. He had more trouble imaging a younger Noah and Dawn than the other two. Had Noah always been so… caustic? Had Dawn always been so mystic and kind? It was difficult to imagine an eight-year-old with either of those personalities, but apparently, Harold hadn't known them that long, so there was no way he'd ask the redhead. That only left Zoey and Cody.

"What about the other two, then?" He innocently asked. Harold glanced briefly at the movie playing, cheering at something one of the characters had done before looking back to Morty.

"I haven't known those two nearly as long as the others, but they're still cool. Neither of them lived here before, they both transferred into our school in the beginning of high school. Cody moved here like a year and a half ago, and Zoey has only been here for about a year. They didn't really have a whole lot of friends in the area, and those from their hometown they didn't really see anymore, so we sat with them at lunch one day to keep them company. It turned out that we had a lot in common with them, and they're really a couple of hilarious and kind kids! They're bother super easy to get along with, like you, so we were quick to become good friends."

"O-oh, well that was nice of you guys," Morty smiled, admiring how nice and welcoming his new group of friends were. How lucky he was to have met these kids out of everybody in the school! Morty wanted to know so much more, but Harold's attention was back on the movie now that he had answered Morty's question. Aw geez, hopefully he'd have great things to say about their friends, and vice versa, like this in the future! He was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't have all the years Sam and Noah did to be friends with Harold, they were soon to graduate and then Morty didn't know if he'd ever see the other teens again.

O-Okay, no more negative thoughts, Morty! Keep it together. You can worry about all of that stuff in a few years when it happens!

"So, what about your other friends. You're pretty close with that Kitty girl, right? You know her older sister Emma is like, a genius or something. It's got to be hard living with an older sister like that."

"Oh please, I'd trade older sisters with her any day." Morty shook his head, turning to watch the movie as well. "I-I actually met her the same day I did you guys. Um, we have a class together and she needed some help with tutoring. S-she's been helping me with my math for a while now and I help her with Chemistry."

"Oh man, you're totally blushing!" Harold pointed out, laughing and poking a finger into Morty's ribs. Morty barked out a laugh before he could cover his mortified face. Why did he have to be so obvious about his feelings all the time! "Don't worry, you know I won't tell anyone else unless you want me to."

"Aw geez, please don't! I might die. Like, actually die." He said as seriously as he could.

"Naw, you wouldn't die, but Dawn and Zoey will probably bend over backwards to help set you two up on a date or something. They might even giggle about it. So, have you only studied together after school?" Harold waggled his eyebrows suggestively and Morty gently punched his arm.

"N-no! I-I mean y-yes! Aw man, we haven't done anything… weird. She actually came with us on an adventure." That seemed to catch Harold's complete attention.

"Wow, r-really?" His voice was nearly a whisper. Morty raised an eyebrow, taking note of Harold's sudden shift in mood. He was totally enamored with the story now!

"Y-yeah, we were just hanging out and stuff at her house when Rick just showed up in a jetpack, and then we were all sucked up into a huge portal. There were these giant Ancient Egyptian animal human hybrid alien things there and they tried to abduct us! The whole thing was insane, and Kitty got stuck in the middle of it all! I really really wish grandpa Rick would have gotten us stranded on a nice tropical alien planet where the natives didn't want to immediately shoot us for once, but um, I guess that's too much to ask for w-when grandpa Rick is involved." Morty snickered, remembering the look on Kitty's face when she had been teleported. It was all fairly traumatic then, or at least Morty thought it was, but now the two laughed about the whole incident. Kitty still asked if they could go back so that she could take some more pictures. Morty was just relieved that she still wanted to talk to him!

"Oh my god, so you two like, went to a different planet and stuff? Or a totally different dimension? Was it an alternate universe where aliens stayed on earth and built all of mankind's greatest structures, or-or maybe you got teleported back to the past and aliens really did build the Great Pyramids? " Morty didn't know how exactly to explain what he saw, but this story appeared to only be further fueling Harold's desire to join Morty and his grandfather on an adventure.

If Kitty could do it, it couldn't be that dangerous! Harold eagerly thought to himself.

"O-oh yeah, definitely. It was like being in Ancient Egypt, but it was all metallic and stuff. I-I don't think it was another dimension or the past, but they did say that they had some sort of influence over the Egyptians, o-or maybe it was vice versa? Aw geez, I was too focused on surviving to really pay attention to most of what they were saying. Kitty took some great photos with her phone if you wanna see them? I-I don't think I'd ever go back there. They had this huge tentacle-y thing that almost, er, ate me." Yeah, he was not about to tell Harold what exactly that alien had planned to do with him. "Aw geez, I would have been a goner, but then Kitty actually s-saved me! She's a pretty good shot."

Harold didn't make a joke about that, still trying to wrap his mind around the story. Not only had Kitty gotten to go adventuring on an alien world, but she had even gotten the chance to have an epic hero moment? He was totally jealous now.

Morty definitely noticed his friend's look this time. Was he jealous of Kitty? That had to be it. He would love to take all of his friends on adventures with him, but it was just too dangerous! He would never be able to forgive himself if something happened to any of them because of him. Sure, Harold knew some kung-fu stuff, but that wouldn't always be helpful. There was just no way he'd let them come if there was even a chance of danger, which meant never.

"Y-you know, Harold, it can be pretty dangerous." He tried to caution. "Like, I-I almost died, and that's a pretty regular occurrence. Kitty could have been seriously hurt, too, or we could have been stranded on that planet if Rick hadn't been there or if she didn't k-know how to shoot a gun." Morty flustered, trying his best to explain the danger. Harold didn't look phased at all. In fact, he just looked even more excited!

"Well, you guys didn't look too injured, nor did either of you look dead, so it couldn't have been that dangerous. C'mon man, please? This all sounds like it'd be a lot of fun, and you know I love all of this awesome sci-fi stuff. I can take care of myself, I swear! You won't even know I'm there!" Harold practically pleaded. Morty bit his bottom lip, fighting with himself over this. Maybe one tiny adventure would be alright? What was the worst that could happen?

"A-alright, um, I guess… one adventure would be fine, but not a dangerous one! I don't w-want you getting hurt." Harold practically jumped of the sofa with excitement, pumping his fist into the air with a victorious whoop!

Yes! Success! Harold was beside himself with excitement. After finally convincing Morty to let him tag along sometime, the two teens resumed watching the movie. Harold could barely focus on what was happening on the screen, though. He might have loved Star Wars, but now all he could think about was flying around in space, battling aliens and shooting laser guns (just like all the movies showed!). Maybe he would even get a big hero moment like Kitty, then all of their friends would be totally impressed by his epic moves and awesome stories of his heroics.

He then thought briefly about what Leshawna might think. Obviously, he wouldn't be able to tell her all of the details, there was no way she would believe him, but he could still spin the story enough to make sense to her. Would she be impressed by what he had done? Maybe she'd even think he was one of the awesome popular guys! He didn't believe she'd care much about his popularity or anything, but Harold did. Despite trying his best to ignore it and being surrounded by a great group of friends, it was tough being at the bottom of the social ladder for so long. He just wanted to seem cool for a little bit before he left high school altogether. No way was he going to graduate without doing something interesting in his life!

Harold didn't even care about Morty's cautions. He understood why his friend would be worried, but Morty didn't know what Harold was capable of. Besides, maybe he was just overreacting? No way had those two been through all of that with no scratches if it was supposed to be that dangerous. There was no doubt Morty and Kitty knew how to shoot a space-laser-gun, but he doubted that the giant tentacle-y thing or the weird Ancient Egyptian alien creatures were really that tough to begin with, not if they were so easily taken out. The truly dangerous creatures in all of his books and movies were never taken out by a couple of kids that easily. How could he convince Morty that there was nothing to worry about?

Morty couldn't stop thinking about what types of horrible fates could befall Harold on an adventure. Morty knew Harold was being, dare he say, a bit cocky about the whole thing. Sure, he knew plenty about science fiction subjects, but the books and movies simply didn't hold up to the real thing! He didn't seem to comprehend the potential danger he could be putting himself in, or that death was a very real possibility, and that worried Morty. How could he make Harold see sense, or, at the very least, get him to worry a bit more for his own safety. He remembered Kitty's naivete on their adventure, how she was barely concerned for her own life. Maybe he just worried too much?

He snuck a glance at Harold's face. The other teen's eyes were unfocussed, but his face still held a look of quiet awe and amazement. Morty wondered if his love of sci-fi was the only reason he wanted so desperately to accompany him. Then again, Morty didn't trust himself to gauge his friend's motives correctly. He thought, not for the last time, that he wasn't good enough with people to do so. He was about to finally settle in and push all of these troubling thoughts to the back of his mind when the front door was slammed open.

Both teens jumped, releasing rather un-manly screams of terror. Morty scrambled for the remote, pausing the film and turning around to see who had interrupted them. If it was Summer, he would never live this down.

"W-w-what the fuck's *urp* up, everybody!" Rick gurgled, shoving through the open door and kicking it closed behind him. His jacket was damp, and there was water dripping from his hair. Had it been raining? Morty and Harold both managed not to jump at the second slam as the door swung shut, the lock clicking. Morty went to ask if Harold was alright, but the redhead was far more interested in who had just come in.

"Grandpa Rick!? Aw geez, I-I thought you were… off world?" Morty stuttered, suddenly more interested in scooping up the garbage strewn about. They were supposed to be alone for the day!

"Off world? W-why would I *urp* why would I be off world, that's a s-stupid assumption there, Morty." Rick stumbled into the kitchen, dropping the paper bags stuffed in his arms onto the counter. So, they weren't stuffed with weird guns and alien body parts? "I-I was helping your in-*urp*-incompetent father run errands, Morty." It was then that Morty could hear someone knocking frantically at the door, his dad's questioning voice floating through the mail slot.

"Rick? Rick! You… Open this door! Morty? Anybody? Come on, it's raining out here!"

"W-what? I c-couldn't *urp* hear you, Jerry! W-what was that?" Rick cursed his dad under his breath, but Morty ignored it. It was common knowledge in the house that Rick didn't exactly care for his dad, besides, he was too busy being mortified about the whole thing! Why did they have to be this way in front of Harold!?

"A-aw geez, I-I'm sorry about all of this, Harold. I d-didn't know that they would be back so soon!" Harold laughed, brushing off Morty's concern.

"Dude, listen, it's alright! Should someone get your dad though?" Morty made to move towards the door, but Rick glowered over at him, shaking his head. "Uh, n-no? I think he likes the rain." Morty slowly sat back down on the couch, flipping the movie back on. His dad's frustrated noises were a bit distracting, but he eventually stopped, apparently having given up. Morty heard the engine of their car start up, followed by the squeal of tires leaving the driveway. Rick seemed pleased that he was finally gone, swiftly grabbing a beer from the fridge and plopping down in Jerry's sitting chair.

"W-what the fuck is this *urp* this garbage, Morty?" He gruffed, gulping down nearly the whole bottle in one go. He motioned toward the screen. Oh no, this was exactly what he wanted to avoid! Morty was surprised when Harold was the first to answer.

"O-oh, it's Star Wars, sir!" Rick narrowed his eyes at the title, but seemed to consider the movie. Oh no, please don't make a comment, please don't make a comment, please don't-

"I-I'm not *urp* d-drunk enough for this, you hear? I'll be in my laboratory doing-doing real science and shit if you need something." Rick pushed himself out of the chair, swaying a bit on unsteady feet. Wait! Now would be the perfect chance to ask him!

"O-oh, um, grandpa Rick?" Rick looked down at him, raising a brow. "Th-this is, er, my friend Harold." Rick seemed to consider the teen.

"A-another one? W-wow, Morty, I'm *urp* I'm impressed." He sardonically congratulated his grandson. He looked like a bigger version of Morty, lengthy and skinny and probably just as unskilled and incapable of defending himself as Morty.

"W-well, um, I-I was just wondering… that is to say… oh man, would he, you know, could he maybe come… on an adventure with us?" Morty was nearly shaking now. He expected another dismissive comment, maybe even to be ignored, but a loud guffaw was definitely not what he thought his grandpa would do.

"A-are you kidding me?" Rick was practically bent double laughing. "L-listen, Morty, listen. Pissing *urp* pissing off Jerry brings me e-endless joy and amusement, so sure. I-I'll entertain your *urp* little fantasy this time, b-but if he dies, I-I'm not responsible, Morty. It's on you if he dies, Morty." Rick then turned on his heal and stumbled away. He grabbed another beer from the fridge as he passed, paused, then grabbed a few more before tripping out into the garage. It was silent for a few moments before the sound of machinery and god-knows-what-else poured out from behind the closed door.

Morty felt light headed. So, Rick didn't care if Harold came with them, but did he really have to remind Morty that he could die on their adventure? He didn't want to be responsible for the death of one his friends! Rick definitely wouldn't step in to help if something went wrong. He didn't seem to care at all what happened to Harold, just that Morty took responsibility! Sure, he was glad that Rick didn't care, but why did he have to be downright uncaring about Harold's safety?

"D-did you hear that? He said yes. He said yes!" Harold's voice quivered with joy. He couldn't believe that that had just happened! Morty's grandfather didn't care if he came on an adventure with them! Harold started thinking about all of the different places they might go, all the things they might see. It was almost too much to process. He would save the full-blown freak out for when he was at home. For now, he did his best to try and calm down and focus on their hangout.

"Alright, I guess I can text the info to you when I figure it out?" Morty asked. He really didn't want to spring the adventure on Harold without preparation or warning. From here on out, he would try his best to plan these types of things, or at least ask Rick to not barge in in the middle of a class or other important event. It was bad enough all those kids saw him teleport onto the field the other day, he didn't want the whole school knowing about this! Satisfied with his plan, Morty, too, tried his best to focus on their hangout. He could panic later, when he was alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really wanted to show Morty new group of friends background in this chapter. You will learn more about there background in later chapters. Next chapter is Harold first adventure, let hope he survive.


	9. Who Ricks the Rickmen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Hello everyone! I'm back with a new chapter. The idea for this chapter was thought up by my friend Rufus T. Serenity. I'm really proud of how this chapter turn out. You see, originally Kitty was not in this chapter because this is Harold's first adventure but I decided to have her in this chapter after all. Moving on, I have some good new and bad news. The good new is that me and my co-writer ratchet are going to make a tv trope page for this story! And for those of you that don't know what Tv Trope is, it is a wiki that collects and expands descriptions and examples of various conventions and devices (tropes) found within creative works. The bad new is that this story is going to be on hiatus for a while. I'm doing this so me and ratchet can work on a story outline for Rick and Morty New Drama Adventures, and develop a serialized plot for this story. I promise that me and ratchet will work as fast as we can so we can go back to this story. This is to improve this story.

Morty once again found himself staring up at the empty space of his ceiling. This wasn't going to become a regular thing, right? He couldn't help it! Rick had finally deigned Harold worthy of coming along on an adventure, so long as he wasn't Rick's responsibility, and even Kitty was coming. After the run in with the Egyptian aliens, Rick was had told Morty that Kitty was skilled enough to come with them again. Harold had yet to prove himself in Rick's eyes.

Morty had thought very hard about how dangerous these adventures were becoming lately, how many near-fatalities he had suffered, but Harold was eager. This one… didn't seem like it would be that bad. Still, he had spent the morning thinking about everything that could, and likely would, go wrong. Overthinking everything might have caused his anxiety to spike, but if it meant he would be ready for any dangers they might face, it was a small sacrifice.

He glanced over toward the clock and wrung his hands together. Okay, so he was technically supposed to be in school right now, but he had easily convinced his dad that he was just too sick to go. Summer had shot him a knowing look, but, in the end, didn't rat him out. She must have been in a good mood about something. Weird.

Harold and Kitty would be coming over any minute now. To avoid being caught, they were going to toss a rock at Morty's window, at which point he would head downstairs and meet them both out in the garage. His dad would probably be asleep in front of the TV by now, so he would just need to quietly sneak past. So until Harold and Kitty showed up, Morty was left to his own thoughts.

The place they'd be visiting today was an odd, but hopefully harmless one. Rick was just testing out some dimension altering device he was working on, and he'd settled on some sort of living comic book place. Morty had watched a few older superhero movies, and he'd read his fair share of comics, and everything just seemed so silly and exaggerated. There was no way Harold could get grievously wounded by somebody who wore poisoned plastic lips. Harold probably read comics, too, so he had to know of all the silly tropes and traps as well. As for Kitty? Clearly she could hold her own.

Rick had apparently chosen this specific dimension because of some issue he took with the logistics of it all. Of course his grandpa would do something as extreme as change a whole other dimension just because of some small issue or inconsistency as scientific inaccuracy. Morty also couldn't understand why Rick would even need a tool like that in the first place. Why would he need to alter an entire realm for anything beyond his own enjoyment or curiosity? Would he try to alter the one they lived in? Now that wasn't a train of thought he wanted to continue. Then again, he obviously couldn't put it past him to have such motivations as that was exactly what he was doing now.

Thinking back on the older comics he'd read, Morty's worries finally calmed down. The villains weren't really that scary, and the thought of some of their costumes and bad hairdos brought a smile to is face. No, this adventure was going to be a cakewalk. There was no way it was going to end in a series of explosions and shootouts, or with shoving weird alien seed pods...erm. That would scare Harold away from being his friend. It made Morty not want to have anything else to do with Rick for a bit!

Morty finally pulled himself out of bed to rummage around his room. He pulled out a t-shirt brandishing a large Batman symbol and decided to wear that instead of the usual yellow. It just seemed to be more fitting, all things considered. He pulled out a pair of old jeans, torn at the knees from when some kid shoved him to the ground a while back. They ended up making him look a little cooler, so he decided to hold onto them.

Now, where did I put those old comics? Morty wondered, looking around his chaotic room. The desk? No, there were just some crumpled pages from schoolwork, and a few, aw geez, embarrassing magazines stashed under a bunch of videogames cases. He was about to go look under his bed when he spotted the corner of his comic box poking out from under a pile of clothes. He went over and tossed the clothes off to the side, crouching down to rummage through some of the comics. It couldn't hurt to do just a little last minute research. If for nothing else, he could get a few good laughs out of them before heading out.

Morty was about halfway through the third issue of some C-list superhero story when he heard the tell-tale thunk of something hitting his window. Aw geez, was it time already? He opened his curtains and spotted Harold and Kitty down on the sidewalk. Harold was eagerly waving his hand and smiling, Kitty was rocking back and forth on her heels watching the other teen's excitement. Kitty looked just as beautiful, oh, uh, nice, as she usually did. Her hair was lose around her shoulders, and she too was wearing a nerdy t-shirt brandished with Captain America's shield. Harold looked to be wearing some sort of paint ball getup, including a helmet that covered most of his red hair, and Morty suddenly worried that maybe he was underdressed? Harold mouthed something that Morty couldn't hear and pointed over toward the garage. Morty took the hint and crept downstairs.

As he thought, Jerry was asleep in his chair, feet propped up and mouth hanging open as he snored away, as a cheesy sitcom blasted on the TV. Morty easily snuck past him, grabbing his backpack (which he had stuffed with snacks the night before when no one was paying attention), and out into the garage. Rick was already there, pointedly ignoring Harold and Kitty as the two politely stood just outside the threshold. Harold's eyes were lit up as he looked around Rick's lab, pausing to take in every bizarre weapon or gadget he had strewn about. Kitty turned and snapped a few pictures, comparing what she was seeing to some of the stuff she had used in videogames. Rick was making some last minute adjustments to his new device, swearing and grumbling quite profusely when it sparked in his hands. Never a good sign.

"H-hey, Harold! Kitty!" Morty stuttered.

"Hey, Morty! Thanks for inviting me today. That last adventure was totally awesome!" Kitty skipped over and through her arms around Morty's shoulders. "Quick! Let's get a selfie with all of these cool guns and things behind us."

"T-these are *urp* top secret weapon prototypes. No pictures or th-they might leak into the wrong hands and then we- we would all be fucked. Morty, listen, you gotta control your g-girlfriend here *urp* Morty." Rick groused, shaking the device a few times. No more sparks. A good sign.

"Aw c'mon Mr. Sanchez! You know I'm good for keeping a secret. I didn't leak even one picture to an alien conspiracy forum!" Kitty playfully pouted and pulled Morty in for a selfie anyway. "Smile!" Morty tried his best to fight down his blush and awkwardly smiled. Why did grandpa Rick have to keep saying embarrassing things in front of his friends! Thankfully Harold didn't seem to notice the remark. He barely even returned Morty's greeting before running inside to get a better look at everything. He was glad that Harold had the tact not to touch anything as Rick would surely get pissed. He already appeared to be irritated, and Morty desperately didn't want the situation to go downhill. At least his grandpa begrudgingly respected Kitty and ignored her slight against his order. Kitty had definitely impressed him on their last adventure, maybe he would even give Kitty her own gun?

"So, uh, a-are you looking forward to your first adventure?" Morty stuttered, barely drawing Harold's attention from a large microscope Rick had out. He looked like he was about to lean down and take a peek at what was under it, but Rick loudly cleared his throat and glared over at him. Harold sheepishly pulled back and turned towards Morty.

"Dude, excited doesn't even begin to cover how I feel right now! Are you kidding, man? I'm going to a whole other dimension, and a comic-book themed one no less! It's like I'm still dreaming," Harold pinched his own arm, wincing. "Nope, definitely real and definitely still happening." Here he gave Morty a hard look, eyes going from head to toe. "Aren't you going to protect yourself?"

"W-what? O-oh no, um, I'm used to this kinda thing by now. Aw geez, I'm actually just hoping my clothes can stay on. I-I'll be happy with just that." He nervously scratched the back of his head. As long as he and Kitty didn't end up practically naked, he didn't really care what he was wearing.

"Don't worry, I've got your back if anything happens." Harold pointed his fingers into tiny guns and made a pew pew noise.

"C-careful, you wouldn't *urp* you wouldn't want to hurt y-yourself before we even leave." Rick tucked the device away into his coat and pulled out his portal gun. He handed Kitty a blaster and Morty a much smaller gun. Morty frowned up at his grandpa, slighted. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Morty. Y-You can't shoot for shit, it's *urp* f-for your own good."

"Don't I get one, Mr. Sanchez?" Harold questioned, disappointed that he didn't get any type of cool weapon. He suddenly looked less excited. Rick stared at him for a moment, incredulous, before clutching his stomach and laughing. Loudly.

"A gun? Y-you thought I would actually just give you one of these? W-what, do you think I just *urp* I just pass these out to every kid like candy? Fuck no, y-you can…" he quickly scanned over his laboratory, "Here, y-you can *urp* use this. Careful, th-that's a dangerous weapon, not a toy" He shoved an old dingy umbrella into Harold's hands and laughed again. The thing was riddled with holes and looked like it probably hadn't been used in years. Aw geez, maybe even decades? Morty pat Harold on the shoulder in sympathy. The other teen was just standing there, frozen, and staring down at the umbrella in his hands.

Morty was suddenly panicked again. Was this it? Would Harold realize that Rick was a huge douche and that this adventure wasn't worth it? That Morty wasn't worth it? No matter how many poor scenarios Morty had imagined, he hadn't imagined it all going to hell before it even started! Oh great, now his hands were starting to shake. Real nice, Morty! Before he could even get his mouth open to ask if Harold wanted to switch weapons, Rick be damned, Harold suddenly sprang into action.

"Oh man, for real? I can totally use this as a sword or something, or a baseball bat!" He swung the umbrella around, evoking a sharp watch it! from Rick as a warning. Morty sighed with relief as Harold struck a few odd poses with his new weapon. Morty wasn't sure if it was karate, fencing or a strange combination of both, but at least Harold was still happy. "A true warrior learns to make use of any weapon he is given." He said sagely.

Rick aimed hi portal gun toward the entrance of the garage and shot it off, the beam flying right over Harold's shoulder. Harold squeaked in fear and stumbled quickly out of the way as Rick sped past, his coat fluttering madly behind him. Morty shook his head, looking first to Kitty then to Harold, before heading in after his grandpa. Harold and Kitty quickly followed after, and suddenly the party of four found themselves in what appeared to be… New York?

"Wow," Morty sighed, looking around at all of the towering buildings. Morty had never been to this city before, so he had no idea exactly where they were, but he recognized some of the buildings, peaking out above the others in the distance. The colors of the walls all looked bright and untouched by smog and pollution. It was actually pretty refreshing to see!

"New York City?" Harold asked, looking around, confused. "I was expecting something a little… different? More, I don't know, alien?"

"But it totally is different! Look at how everyone is dressed, it's so cool!" Kitty exclaimed, pointing at a group of kids walking by, barely older than they were. They were dressed in such old clothing; their fashion was almost laughable. Their jeans belled out way too far around their ankles, and a lot of the girls were wearing brightly colored dresses, their hair bobbing above their shoulders. It all looked like something his grandparents would wear if he had had normal grandparents. "It's like we travelled back in time!" She covertly pulled her camera out and snapped a few pictures. "Better not wave this around today, huh? We'd definitely stick out then." Kitty whispered, shoving her phone back into the pocket of her pants.

"U-uh, I think the problem is our clothes, and, er, that." Morty motioned to her blaster. Kitty flushed with embarrassment and quickly shoved it up her shirt, trying to hide the clearly not-from-this-era weapon. It obviously didn't work that well as the outline of the gun was still pretty obvious.

"A-Alright dickheads *urp* let's get going and power this baby up!" Rick didn't take the same precaution as Kitty, flaunting his own blaster around for all to see. Morty cringed as more eyes turned in their direction. He just had this sinking feeling that Rick would end up getting them into some sort of trouble with his egotistical personality. "W-we need to get up onto the highest building in this shithole." Rick took off down the street, leaving the three teens to scrabble after him.

"Morty, do we get to look around at all? If it's really like being in an old-school comic book, I want to see some heroes or villains and stuff!" Harold groused coming up beside the shorter teen.

"Yeah, same! Think of how cool it'd be to see some superhero fights? They'd make the best pictures to bring back home!" Kitty exclaimed from his other side. Morty frowned, now suddenly worried that this adventure would turn out to be too boring!

"Aw geez, well um, maybe we could separate for just a little bit? It'll probably take Rick a while to set his stuff up, so we should be able to look around." Morty stuttered out.

"Awesome! We could like listen to an old radio and see if they say anything? I mean, this place should be flooded with heroes and villains, yeah?" Kitty piped up.

"Oh, I know! Why don't we just go towards the sound of sirens or alarms? In the old comics, that always means that a supervillain is nearby." Harold's suggestion made sense, but it also sounded very risky. Sirens and alarms usually indicated something very serious and very dangerous. Morty supposed that they were at least a little more prepared to handle the situation than anyone else here, save for the superheroes, on account of their futuristic weapons and superior knowledge of old timey comic hijinks.

"Sure, I guess that could work." Morty looked ahead to him to see Rick quickly bustling around a corner. He wanted to call out and at least warn Rick that they made a slight change in plans, but then he thought that Rick might actually make the situation worse by saying something shitty and mean to his friends. Warning Rick was out of the question then. The three teens instead carried on down the road.

They stopped at a few places to look into the storefront windows, eyeing up all the strange objects on display. Both Kitty and Harold found themselves enamored with some of the things, but Morty was pretty that buying something here would break some sort of time continuum or come back and bite them in the ass in one way or another. He tried to gently urge his friends onward. They would have to find somebody soon before Rick got too settled. Morty wasn't sure that they should be running around down in the streets when he set the thing off. Who know what would happen to them!

Like Harold suggested, it didn't take long before they heard some store sirens going off down the street. The two teens turned toward Morty, huge grins on their face, and dragged him toward the noise. The closer they got, Morty could see the lights of police vehicles flashing and smoke billowing up into the sky out the windows.

"Come on, let's go this way!" Morty tried to look around the large crowd of concerned citizens that was starting to form. Harold looked around and found an opening in the crowd that the three teens could dart through. When they squeezed through all of the amassing bodies, they came across quite the scene of action. The police were hunkered down behind their vehicles, firing little handguns into the smoke. There was so much commotion that Morty could barely hear what was happening.

"How about we sneak around back and see if we can get a better look?" Harold whispered. Morty whirled around and looked at him, eyes bugging. Was he serious!? Morty didn't want to get much closer than they already were, let alone close enough to actually get a close look at these guys. He still wanted to remain as cautious as possible. There was no reason to needlessly put his friends in harm's way. Before he could try and argue with him, Harold and Kitty both were already running around the back of the building. Worrying at his lower lip, Morty reluctantly followed.

The three stopped right below a large window, kneeling in the shattered glass that was scattered throughout the alleyway. Kitty was the first to peer over the edge, looking into the building. She quickly waved her hand for the others to rise beside her. Morty peaked over the windowsill, having trouble deciding which weirdly dresses villain he should focus on. There were a group of five of them, and two were standing by the door. They had guns that looked similar to what grandpa Rick usually used, wrapped in colorful tubing and firing beams of blue and red. Upon further inspection, between the thinning smoke Morty saw that the police vehicles were now covered in ice. Was he shooting a freeze ray? He was wearing some sort of Eskimo-like clothing after all, and tights. Morty swore that even from back here he could see each individual butt cheek, wrapped in tight bright blue fabric that looked as if it might have little snow flake sequins stitched into it. God, at least he was prepared for the outlandish fashion.

The other guy by the door, a big hulking dude in tight red spandex, painted with large orange and yellow flames, was shooting what looked to him to be a heat ray. It looked like a fuzzy orange boa was sat on top of his shoulders, but Morty knew, he just knew, that the piece was attached to the rest of the costume. His blond hair was also styled into large spikes atop his head, an attempt to pull together the whole look. The other three villains, all wearing equally colorful outlandish costumes, were stuffing anything they could find into large burlap sacks. They all had little black slips of fabric tied around their heads that made them look like old-timey burglars. Okay, so maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. They all seemed too preoccupied with what they were doing until-

"Harold! Where are you going?" Morty harshly whispered as Harold began climbing through the open window. "G-get back here!" Morty was torn between stopping his friend from doing something stupid and drawing more attention to themselves. Alright, so this was definitely a bad idea. He should have just listened to his gut and stuck with his grandpa Rick!

The redhead easily cleared the windowsill and ducked down behind a nearby counter. Morty started chewing his lip again, glancing nervously between the villains and Harold. To his great dismay, as he was watching, Kitty decided to jump in too! Morty scrambled for his tiny gun, aiming it at the nearest villain just in case they discovered one of his friends.

He watched as Kitty crept up beside Harold, poking her phone around the corner of the counter to snap a few pictures. She then turned to Harold and whispered something to him. They weren't going to try and get closer, were they? Morty didn't think he could handle it, yet there they went! The two practically crawled across the floor to get closer to the villains. It only took a minute of them crawling when Morty's fears came to fruition.

"Hey! You there, freeze!" The guy with the freeze gun was pointing right at Harold and Kitty, lifting his freeze ray to take aim. One of the other villains, clad in a large leopard-print fur jacket and wearing some gaudy golden jewelry, dropped his satchel of goods and started running over toward the teens. If he weren't so concerned, Morty would have openly laughed at the clashing leopard print pants he was wearing. Harold and Kitty both sprung to their feet and took off the same way they came, easily hopping the windowsill and taking off in a run.

"Hurry up, Morty!" Kitty laughed. In fact, neither of them looked concerned with their situation! They were both sniggering as they ran, Morty desperately trying to keep up. The ducked down around several corners and down alleys until they could no longer hear the villain shouting out bad ice puns. Villains successfully evaded, they slowed down to catch their breath.

"Oh my god, did you hear what he said? 'Tonight's forecast: a freeze is coming!' That was so cheesy!" Harold laughed. Morty laughed a bit, too, only just calm enough to see the hilarity in the situation.

"And their clothes! They looked like bad cosplay costumes." Kitty sniggered, patting Morty on the back. "You okay, Morty? You shoulda come in there with us. Look at these great close-ups I caught!" Kitty turned her phone to Morty, flipping through a few of the admittedly pretty awesome shots.

"O-okay, they look great, but I really think we should be getting back to Rick now. Who knows what this place is going to look like after he activates that device." It wouldn't be too hard to find the tallest building around, but taking that little detour definitely put them behind. Rick would have surely noticed their absence by now, right? Either that or he was just unconcerned with their whereabouts (the more likely of the two realities).

"Alright cool, but if we see any more cool villains or heroes along the we have to stop for at least a little." Kitty puffed out her lower lip and pulled the puppy dog eyes.

"Aw geez, I guess, but we have to be quicker than at that last place!"

"Awesome, dude!" Harold grinned, mind already filling with images of all the different characters they might come across. Sure enough, they passed a few other serious happenings on their way. The police of this city sure had their hands full, Morty thought. It was almost like there was another villain on every block of the city! They passed bank heists where all the burglars wore strange bunny masks and suits, shootouts where the bad guys were shooting shrinking rays or even anti-gravity guns! There was even a guy who looked like an overgrown lizard. As long as they hung back away from the action, Morty did't mind stopping for a few seconds to see these villains, and his friends seemed to be endlessly entertained.

It took a while, but they eventually came to the foot of the tallest building. Strange, it didn't look like any building Morty had ever seen. It must be something unique to this reality, but what could it be?

"Wait! What if this is like a big villain headquarters or something? I mean, this place is so saturated with them, we can't be too sure." Harold suggested. "We should try and sneak in or something." Morty thought about it for a bit. It really wouldn't have taken much effort from Rick to get in, not with the way he dressed and talked shit about everyone. Really, it was a thin line between mad scientist and super villain.

"What should we do?" He asked. The three stared down at the ground, thinking of the best way to go about this.

"Why don't we disguise ourselves as villains and just walk in the front door? These guys are basically all dressed in tacky Halloween costumes, how hard could it be?" Morty was glad that Harold was here. He seemed to know a lot about this stuff, so Morty trusted that it would work out.

"Okay, so let's hurry! I remember seeing a clothing store back a block or two," Kitty pointed out. The three teens looked at each other, quickly coming to an agreement. Morty couldn't believe that he was going through with this! Would it actually work? Were old school comic villains dumb enough to let it work?

The answer? Yes. Yes they were. Kitty was wearing a tight shiny black leather body suit, a small black mask covering her eyes. She also tossed wore a sparkly purple feather boa. It was an odd clothing store. Now that he thought about it, Morty wasn't sure that that wasn't some sort of kink shop. Harold was wearing his paintball armor still, but he added a big billowing purple cape and his own dark mask to cover his eyes (which looked really weird with his glasses). Morty was also wearing a black bodysuit that rode up uncomfortably, which Kitty insisted he wear, and a dark blue cape and hood that hung down over his eyes. Just to complete the façade, Morty even wore another identical mask under the first one.

Pulling out their weapons, the three marched into the building with all the bravado they could muster. The place was flooded with villains! Most of them just gave the new comers a confused, and possibly concerned, look. Aw geez, they looked too stupid even for these guys!

"Play it cool, guys! We just have to make it over to the stairwell and then we can go meet your grandfather up on the roof." Harold stage-whispered. Morty nodded, swallowing as he looked down the hall toward the stairwell. Piece of cake, right? Of course, Morty never had such luck. Just as they were about to reach the door, a huge guy blocked their way with his bulk. This guy was built, and there was no way that they could take him on!

"Hold it, you three. I've never seen you guys around here. State your identities!" He growled down at them, baring his yellowed teeth. Harold held his hand to the side and gave Morty a look that read 'I've got this'.

"What's the meaning of this! You have a problem with us, bub?" Harold growled out in what sounded like a poor impression of Batman. "I ought to have you frozen into a block of ice and strung up outside the police station for this? How dare you not recognize I, Death Machine, and my two henchmen, Razor and Lady Poison." Morty inwardly cringed at the terrible names. Well, at least they sounded like they belonged here? The large man narrowed his eyes and glared down his nose at them. Harold glared back and puffed out his chest in defiance. They stared each other down like this for what seemed like hours to Morty before the guy, unofficially dubbed Brick Shithouse, stepped away from the door.

"Very well, Death Machine, you may carry on with your business." Harold kept up the glower until Brick Shithouse was gone, then the three quickly ran into the stairwell.

"Death Machine? Seriously, dude?" Morty snickered, taking the stairs up three at a time is his rush to just get the hell out of here.

"Yup! You can't have a serious villain name here, so I just said the first ones that came to mind. It totally worked though, so that's a win in my book!" Harold whooped, passing Morty on the stairs.

"I wanna be Razor, you can be Lady Poison," Kitty playfully winked, easily keeping pace with the others. Morty blushed, suddenly very self-conscious in the weird outfit he was wearing. Opening the door to the roof, he saw Rick leaning over not just one, but a whole series of devices that he had set up. Where did he fit all of these things? There were spirals and coils of metal, strange glowing rocks, and a bunch of other odd things that Morty couldn't even begin to try and understand.

"M-Morty, *urp* what the fuck are you wearing? Y-you can't just walk around dressed like that, Morty. You look like *urp* like you're dressed f-for a BDSM session or something." Rick frowned, shaking his head in disappointment at Morty's new get-up. Morty blushed, mortified that his grandpa had to see him dressed like this. How embarrassing! Rick would probably never let him live it down. "S-stop pussy-footing around over there and come help!"

The three teens ran over to see what they could do. Rick positioned them to stand ready by a switch, ordering them to wait for his command to pull the lever or shit would hit the fan. The consequences would be, surprise, ripping a tear in the dimension and creating a dimensional wormhole that would inevitably either tear them apart atom by atom or send them all flying into who knows what other dimension. It sounded much scarier than what they had been doing early, and Morty found himself shaking and sweating bullets. Seriously!? Why couldn't the consequence just be a slap on the wrist by intergalactic police or something, why was it always death!?

Morty resisted the urge to squeeze his eyes shut when Rick gave the order, yanking the lever down as quickly as he could. Harold and Kitty must have done the same, as he didn't explode into several billion particles, nor did he find himself teleported somewhere else. However, things still seemed… different. Was this the result of Rick's new device? Everyone on the roof top began taking a look around, pearing down over the edge of the roof and down to the streets below.

Everything just seemed darker somehow. The sky was bleak and cloudy, almost as if it were going to rain, when earlier the sun had been shining. The only noise from below were the honking horns of aggressive drivers and arguing over cellphones. Wait… Cellphones? Had the device also managed to send them flying into the future of this dimension somehow?

"Uh, g-grandpa Rick? W-what's going on?" Morty piped up.

"Hm, b-by my calculations, everything should have been made more logical. I-I'm not sure why the fuck the weather changed, but *urp* I'm not going to complain. It was too bright anyway." Rick packed away the main device, the gun thing, and started heading for the door down. "Let's get a closer look, unless *urp* unless you kids f-feel the need to run off and do stupid shit again." Of course Rick wouldn't be stupid enough to not notice their disappearance, he just didn't give a shit where they were. A bit frustrated with his grandpa's lack of caring, Morty followed after him. Kitty and Harold followed as well, the redhead cringing up at the sky.

"Gross, now it looks like one of those dark gritty reboot movies." He complained. He even gave his umbrella a glance, just in case he'd actually need it for the rain. The group carefully descended the stairs, poking their heads through the different floor exits as they went. A lot of the hallways were dark, almost as if half the lights weren't even turned on. Rick grumbled to himself and jotted down a few notes into a small notepad he had tucked away. Getting off onto the main floor, they slowly made their way back onto the street. Just as they stepped past the door, a loud eruption of noise nearly toppled the group. It sounded like something just exploded!

"Hurry, we have to go check it out! What if someone's hurt?" Harold urged, starting to rush off toward the noise. Morty and Kitty quickly followed, and Rick, too, went after thinking over the pros and cons of letting a bunch of teenagers run into a literally exploding building. Morty took note of their surroundings as they went, of how every alleyway looked 10x darker than earlier, the puddles that filled the streets and sidewalks as if it had just rained, and of how everybody now wore darker clothing and looked almost like paper cut-outs of one another. This dimension didn't look nice at all anymore, now it was actually starting to freak Morty out!

Coming to the scene, Morty saw a whole city block on fire, buildings already collapsing. People were running both away from the flames and toward them, afraid to lose their loved ones, but afraid to injure themselves as well. Emergency responders were already on the scene, involved in another shootout with a gang of villains. These ones looked different, wearing dark suits and odd masks over their faces, and rather than shooting silly things like freeze rays, they were firing submachine guns!

"W-we have to do something!" Harold's voice sounded a little panicked, but Morty was impressed by how calm his resolve was compared to his own.

"I-I-I don't know, man! What can we even do?"

Harold frowned, looking around to survey the situation. Rick hung back, jotting a few notes down about the new dimension while still keeping an ear on the situation.

"Alright, so you can't actually aim that thing right, can you?" Morty shook his head. "You need to go over there and help people get to the EMTs, okay? Kitty, you and I are going to try and take some of those guys down. Morty's grandpa? Just do whatever you can to help!" Rick looked up, affronted that a kid was trying to order him around, but before he could argue, Harold was already jumping over a car and running over to the group of villains with Kitty. Morty turned to do as he was ordered, ears ringing as blood rushed to his head.

Oh God Oh God Oh God

This was it. They were actually going to die on this adventure! He felt like his heart would beat right out of his chest, and his stomach was doing flips. He was so busy focusing on the moment that he barely registered Rick ducking behind a nearby car to fiddle with his dimension altering device. He didn't know how to feel about that, not right now.

As he was helping a woman get her small child out of their car, he heard the sound of gunfire getting louder and screaming. He didn't want to look, but he had to! What if Harold or Kitty were hurt or…

Holding his breath, Morty quickly looked over his shoulder to see Harold grappling with one of the guys, his gun laying on the ground nearby. He was doing a lot of fancy footwork Morty could barely keep up with, keeping his strikes quick and precise. Was this that kung-fu stuff? He could also see Kitty ducked behind a police vehicle, popping her head up to fire off a shot or two of her gun before ducking back down.

Morty was so certain that this would be the end, but his friends both looked like they had it handled. Morty frowned, finally pulling the screaming child free of her buckles and passing her over to her mother. He felt… jealous? He knew that wasn't fair to his friends, but he couldn't help it. He just ended up being so useless in these situations whenever they were around!

A startled shout from Harold brought Morty out of his self-deprecating thoughts. He whipped his head around and saw Harold on the ground, scrambling to grab his umbrella to swing at the villain's legs, but the villain was already swinging his gun around to shoot. Time froze for Morty. He couldn't watch Harold die, this was all his fault, he shouldn't have invited him along, he should have-

"Hey assholes! Over here!" Rick fired his dimension altering gun the same time the villain fired his. Morty couldn't look away as the laser beam seemed to move in slow-motion, travelling right to the commotion. For the second time it ten minutes, Morty felt his heart nearly erupt with nerves and fear. The laser struck the ground in the center of the villains, erupting in a bright white light. Morty closed his eyes then, focusing only on the sound of Harold's startled scream. He kept them closed, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. He couldn't look.

"Morty? Morty!" His name sounded muffled, almost like his ears were stuffed with cotton. Was that Rick speaking to him, or was it Kitty?

"Morty, dude, open your eyes!" Morty cracked one open and was met with Harold's beaming face. What? He was alive!? He quickly stepped back, taking in Harold's condition. He had a bruised cheek from the fight, and his left arm was encased in a block of ice, but he looked otherwise unscathed. "Did you see that? We were totally awesome!" As Harold chattered on about how great this adventure was, he saw Kitty run over to take pictures of his frozen arm. Everything looked like it had when they arrived again, sunny skies and weird colorful clothing included. He even saw the police running forward to arrest the silly looking villains.

Releasing a breath he didn't know he had been holding, Morty wondered if they'd ever get to go on a normal adventure with Rick. At least Harold seemed as if he had fun, and as they packed up to go home, he even noticed that Rick stopped speaking down to the redhead as much. Well, at least they survived and Rick begrudgingly respected another of his friends. He would take whatever little success he could get at this point, but damn did he ever want to just get home and collapse in bed for a very long nap.


	10. Fangs for the Great Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Hello my loyal readers, I'm back with a new chapter. It's been a while. I did say that this story was going on hiatus for a while. But I admit this is longer than expected. Let me explain, you see my original cowriter Ratchet the Whambulance had to leave this story because of health issues. So I was searching for a new cowriter, which was easier said than done. This chapter itself took months to complete. I found Jaded Skylark from Tumblr, who only wrote the first half of this chapter. The second half of this chapter was made from my friend and reviewer of this story Vanessa Masters. VanillaMetal from DeviantArt rewrote and edited the two parts together. And finally, last but not least, jc013 from DeviantArt made the finishing edited of this chapter. This chapter was rewritten 4 times and I hope it was worth the wait.

It was true, that Morty both loved and hated his adventures with Rick. Sometimes there was a lot of fun to be had. At other times it was just a plain nightmare.

This was something that he had been struggling with since they first started. Right from the beginning it had been a little difficult for him to deal with.

However, there were some positives to this little dynamic that they had going on. On the one hand, he did get to see the whole of the galaxy, and to even meet aliens on his way. Yet on the other hand, he had to deal with the danger that was naturally involved, and the insanity that Rick brought about too. And now...he had to deal with his friends not even realizing, not truly understanding, or even trying to understand, the true danger that he so often faced.

Recently, that was what he had hated the most, more than anything else. After the last adventure he had with Kitty and Harold, Morty had been afraid to face them.

It wasn't because of their excitement over the adventures or anything. It was nicer after all if they could just enjoy what they were doing, right? Better that than they hated it or anything of the sort. That would be worse of course, but...

Well...it was more that he just didn't want to hear them ask to join in on another one. Morty wanted no part in any of it. Morty couldn't turn his friends down after all, he simply didn't have the heart for it. Even if they asked for him to join in on something he wanted no part of, he still couldn't do it. Yet he knew that Rick surely could...and would.

That was one thing he really didn't mind, because it kept his friends safe. It kept them away from the danger, but Morty also knew they didn't mind the danger. They just didn't understand how dangerous it was at all.

But they didn't seem to care, either. That much was obvious the moment Morty came back to school after the last adventure with Kitty and Harold. He hadn't been able to come to school, fearing the questions that would come from Harold and Kitty- as well as any of their other friends who might have happened to hear about their adventures- about when the next adventure was. He had feigned sickness and gone on other adventures with just his grandpa, but Morty knew he couldn't avoid it forever.

Sadly for Morty anyway, the moment that his friends- both Harold and Kitty and, surprisingly, no one else- spotted him, the questions started pouring.

"Hey, where have you been!?" Kitty bounced up to Morty, her eyes wide in worry. Morty felt himself relax slightly. "We were worried sick when you didn't show up after the last-" Kitty lowered her voice slightly. "-adventure."

Morty smiled softly. "Aw, geez, y- yeah. I'm okay, I j- just didn't feel g-good. S-sorry, guys."

"Yeah, man," Harold started, gently punching Morty's shoulder. "Don't just drop off the face of the Earth like that. So not fair that you get to do it daily with your grandpa, anyway!"

Kitty's eyes began sparkling suddenly as she bounced closer to Morty, grabbing his arm. "Yeah! Speaking of that, when do we get to come with you again? It was so much fun last time!"

"O- oh, uh, w- well, I don't k- know, guys…" Morty rubbed the back of his neck, feeling slightly flustered at the sudden change in Kitty's proximity. "P-probably soon...?"

She perked up immediately, mouth breaking out into a pure and excited, almost childlike grin.

"Great!"…

The moment Morty made it home, he was dragged into the garage by Rick. Rick, however, was going on and on about… Vampires?

Vampires...of all things.

Morty didn't understand the science-y language Rick was using, but he did keep hearing the word 'vampire' a lot during Rick's rant. Morty suspected that whatever had to do with Vampires was probably what they were about to have an adventure about. He couldn't say he WASN'T excited, though. Vampires were pretty cool! Kitty would probably think so too…

"Hey, Rick?" Morty spoke up after Rick had gone quiet after his rant.

"W- *Urp* What, Morty? Can't you *urp* see I'm very b- busy?" Rick snapped back, doing nothing bust staring at something that looked like a screwdriver.

Morty rubbed his hands together nervously. "W- well, I know you usually d-don't bring anyone but m- me and sometimes Summer on adventures, but I was, uh, um, w-wondering if Kitty and Harold can come on the next one?"

Rick blinked, glancing over to Morty for a split second before looking back at his screwdriver. "No."

"Aw, c- c'mon, Rick!" Morty huffed, hoping his act was working.

His grandfather was being insufferable as usual, but this time it was over an adventure. Well, it usually WAS over an adventure, but this time was even more annoying because Rick wouldn't budge. Morty knew that his grandfather probably had a reason for wanting to go to whatever planet he was wanting to go to, but Morty wanted a less scary sounding place.

"No, M- *urp* Morty, won't do it," Rick responded, his glazed over eyes focused on the contraption in front of him. "They're al-already on the team Morty. But this one, no go, there's just some those out of the loop wouldn't last well on... at all." He didn't look over to Morty even when the other let out a groan.

"Rick, that isn't fair- "

Rick slammed down his screwdriver and turned around to look at the kid. "Yeah, w- well Morty, life isn't *urp* fair. to think you'd get over it by now."

Standing up, Rick closed in on Morty. The kid took a step back as his grandfather got closer, swallowing a lump in his throat. He knew he shouldn't have pushed it, but he did anyway. He had just wanted to find a way to make it seem like he had tried to get them to come so he wouldn't be lying when he told them he said no! He hadn't meant to make Rick THAT mad!

Morty opened his mouth to say something, but Rick clapped a hand over it so Morty couldn't speak.

"Before you speak Mo-*urp*ty, let me describe how BAD things can go if we bring y- your suddenly brand new hot Asian Chick galpal and random nerdy guy friend to certain ad-adventures! Last couple times, not so bad, but here. Say we go to a planet full of Sharks constantly dancing to Kylie Minogue's cover of "Do The Locomotion" and Harold goes and tries dancing with 'em as sprinkes a-and frosting rains down from clouds shaped like Graplo *urp* ks titties. May sound nice and fun, then BHAM! POOR KID GETS FACEFUCKED BY SHARK'S TEETH, , cause they don't like backup dancers, especially normal unknowing humans who *urp* DON'T KNOW DICK! Then there's Kitty, nice gal, w-w-well meaning for her own good, but nice. She can try to help out some starving little Clock girls and boys when their parents be gone, know what happens?" He kept rambling on, until pausing, ready to finish, only...

"... sorry, totally forgot where i was going with that example, bu *urp* t you get my point! Already bad enough i bring Summer, your mom, and Christ, who doesn't fucking exist, forbid i bring your completely useless cuntstain of a dad along. But bringing in two randos, can not end well, get where i'm coming from?"

Morty, as if unwillingly, mumbled beneath his grandfather's hand, more annoyed than mad- or even scared- now.

But then, as if outta nowhere...

"Actually, fine, whatever, so- so li-*urp* listen here, M- *urp* Morty, okay? Now, listen here, g- got it?" Morty nodded quickly to answer Rick's question. "We're gonna go to Vamricia with your friends, and you're gonna *urp* be happy about it. We're gonna go there, and we're gonna *urp* kill some fucking V- Vampires, Morty. You *urp* hear me, Morty? We're gonna kill some Va- *urp* Vampires! Not the cool "From Dusk Till Dawn" kind, but some real puss types! KILL SOME VAMPIRES!"

Morty nodded his head quickly, suddenly not sure why he was so against going to a planet of Vampires with his friends. Maybe he was just overreacting. He did that sometimes, so maybe that was it. Rick had never let him get seriously hurt before… aside from that time he broke his legs… and that other time he almost died… Okay, maybe he wasn't overreacting. Or maybe things would be okay in the end. Morty tried to speak up, in order to voice his thoughts to Rick, but his words came out muffled by the hand over his mouth. He reached up to pull it off, but Rick's hand stayed put.

"We're gonna kill some Vampires!" Rick shouted, finally removing his hand from Morty's mouth in order to raise his fists in the air.

Morty rubbed his mouth, letting out a sigh. "Aw geez," he muttered under his breath. "Okay, Rick, okay. Let's kills s-some Vampires."

Rick pointed his portal gun at the floor and jumped through, shouting a "woohoo!" as he fell through. Morty sighed, waiting for a moment before final jumping through after his grandfather. He knew he was probably going to regret not putting his foot down for the first time ever, but Morty was weak and a little bit of a push over. He knew if his grandfather wanted to do something, he would get his way. Morty didn't have to like it, but he'd grown to accept it… somewhat.

Morty felt his feet land in something wet. He already didn't like where this was going, but it was too late to change his mind about this now. He opened his eyes and saw Rick pulling Kitty through a portal. She stumbled, grinning wide despite the sudden transportation. Kitty waved at Morty, jogging over when Morty returned the wave. She opened her mouth to greet her friend when a surprised shout made them both turn. The two saw Rick pull Harold through another portal, the teen stumbling hard as he entered the new planet.

"Woah! That is SO cool, man!" He exclaimed, grinning at his two friends. "Oh, hey guys! What's goin' on with this adventure?"

Rick waved a hand between the teens and burped. "Sh- shut up. We've got a *urp* mission here, okay, kids? So p- pull your big boy pants on and fucking g- get ready to do what I s- say. Got it?"

Morty nodded, still annoyed at his grandfather from earlier. He saw Kitty and Harold nod, both of them grinning at the prospect of an exciting adventure. Morty didn't have a great feeling about any of it, but he knew better than to go against his grandfather's plans. He also really didn't want to upset his friends by being the worrywart and ruining their fun adventure. Maybe the feeling was nothing. Morty hoped it was nothing, at least, and looking over at his friends, he knew he was the only one with any sort of worry about it. Maybe he was just worried for nothing. Maybe he needed to just get the rest of the facts about the adventure and things would feel better!

"H- hey, Rick, why are we here?" Morty asked, his nerves only slightly settled by the calm looks of his friends. "You just said we were going to kill Vampires, r- right?"

Rick laughed. "Morty, Mo- *urp* -rty, Morty. We're gonna *urp* kill the f- fucking Vampires, and I'm gonna do what I *urp* do b-best!"

"What? Be an drunk asshole?" Morty mumbled, crossing his arms as he ducked his head down low. He really didn't have a good feeling about this, and Rick's lack of explanation wasn't doing anything to help his nerves.

It seemed like Rick hadn't heard his snarky remark, but Kitty had. She looked at Morty with a soft smile. Morty felt his cheeks heat up at her smile.

"Hey, it's okay, Morty!" she whispered to him. Kitty gently nudged him with her elbow. "I'm sure this'll be fun! We'll be fine, so just go along with the flow."

"Yeah, man!" Harold pitched in, slinging an arm over Morty's shoulders. "Just go with the flow and get your groove on! We'll be okay! Let's just have some fun and kill some Vampires!"

"Hey, d- dimwits," Rick interrupted. "Quit *urp* trying to make Morty f- feel better and keep up. I'm gonna l- *urp* leave all you fuckers behind to fend off *urp* those blo- bloodsuckers yourselves."

Morty grimaced again but sped up his pace. His friends followed along beside him, and even if he was worried over this whole situation, their excitement was contagious. He found himself smiling as they followed after Rick.

"So um...let's converse!" Kitty piped up.

"Nah *hic* let's not."

While they were walking, Morty looked around them to see what kind of place a world filled with Vampires was like. It was beautiful, that's for sure.

They were surrounded by colorful flowers and trees taller than anything Morty had ever seen before. His eyes grew wide in something other than awe the moment he looked down. All around them, there were puddles of a liquid that looked suspiciously like blood. Morty gulped and avoided stepping in, or anywhere near, them.

Kitty, however, was bouncing around and trying to snap pictures of everything. Harold was typing on his phone, probably taking notes or something, but Morty didn't know for sure. He stepped closer to Harold and asked him quietly.

"Hey, w-what are you typing?"

Harold glanced at Morty with a wide grin. "It's just super cool that this is a vampire world, man! I wanted to write down how it looks and what we do so we can look back at it in, like, a story way!"

Kitty ooed at Harold. "That's smart! I'm taking pictures- hey! Maybe I can take the pictures and you can write it, and we can make a story!"

"Yeah!" Harold nodded at Kitty.

Morty smiled at his friends' eagerness, but he still felt a nagging feeling in his gut. He looked up to where Rick was walking ahead of them and finally noticed the trees around them clearing out. There was an opening ahead where they could see towers and buildings begin where the trees ended. Morty gasped at the suddenness of the city before them, and when they stepped into the city, he looked around, noticing the lack of people.

"H-hey, Rick," Morty began, stepping closer to his grandpa. "Where, uh, w-where are all the people?"

Rick rolled his eyes. "They're V- *urp* Vampires, Morty. They don't- they don't come out in *urp* the light. D-duh!"

Morty ducked his head down, feeling bad that he hadn't thought of that. He always feels dumb when Rick talks to him like that, and you'd think he would be use to it by now, but he still wasn't. It was even more embarrassing with Kitty and Harold both being here to see the way Morty's face flushed darker and ducked his head in a pitiful way.

However, Kitty's grin at him and Harold's pat on his shoulder made Morty feel a little less alone. He glanced up and smiled shyly back to Kitty. Their moment was interrupted soon after with a loud sound coming from Rick as he cleared his throat. Morty's head whipped up as he bumped into the back of his grandfather.

"Ow!" He said, rubbing his forehead. "Aw, w- what the hell, Rick?"

"The *urp* s-sun's setting so- *urp* soon," Rick announced, looking down at a device in his hands. He pointed up to the star in the sky, a sudden veil of twilight drifting in front of it. "There's a pl- *urp* place right arou- around that *urp* corner."

"Oooo! This is so exciting! We're hiding from Vampires, guys!" Kitty squealed, clapping her hands. "I can't believe how cool this is!"

"Man, it's super cool! It's like we're in a comic book or something!" Harold agreed, pumping his fist in the air.

Rick scoffed in annoyance at the teens, choosing instead to kick open the door of the place they'd be staying. The others followed Rick inside and Morty shut the door behind them. It was a small building, hardly more than a metal box on the outside, but on the inside, it was extravagant. It was far larger on the inside than it had looked on the outside, and it seemed like everything was made of gold.

The doorway was flanked on both sides with small tables, the legs and mahogany top inlaid with gold. Each table held golden vases with silver roses. Morty could hardly believe his eyes when he turned further into the home. He stared up to the great staircase in front of them, the sight something greater than Morty had ever seen in his life. It was almost impossible to believe. It was pure gold, glittering in the light from the candles in the room.

"It's so pretty," Kitty whispered, her hand over her mouth.

Harold nodded, his jaw slack at the sight before them. His eyes were wider than Morty's were, and it looked like he was trying hard to find the words to describe what he was thinking, and Morty felt the same. He was opening and closing his mouth, trying to speak as Kitty had been able to. Rick, however, didn't seem effected in the slightest. He yawned at the sight, looking bored.

"This is *urp* m-more gaudy than last *urp* time I came here," Rick complained, taking off his lab coat and tossed the alcohol covered article of clothing on the railing of the staircase. "I miss the coat rack."

Morty flinched as his grandfather began yelling. "HEEEEEEELLLLOOO, I'm h- *urp* here! Come on the fuck *urp* out!"

Rick started up the stairs, and Morty, Kitty, and Harold followed him hesitantly. Kitty touched the gold of the stair case's railing, tailing her fingers along the solid gold. Harold took a picture of the golden rail before typing on his phone in a furiously rushed manner. Morty just followed, looking around in awe. Rick must have known the person- or Vampire- who lived here, but Morty had a hard time believing his grandfather knew anyone with this luxurious of a home.

However, Morty believed it the moment they made it up the stairs and a beautiful, pale skinned man ran forward to give Rick a hug.

"Rick! It is lovely to see you once more!" the man said, sounding far too excited for someone seeing Rick Sanchez. "What brings you here? And who, might I ask, are your young companions?" The Vampire sniffed, still smiling. "Lust, Wrath and Pride?"

"Y- *urp* Yeah, Wrath goes by *urp* M-Morty," Rick motioned toward the younger man.

Kitty tilted her head slightly. "U- um, I go by Kitty!"

"Oh, and I'm Harold!" He smiled, giving a small salute as if he were unsure of what to do.

Kitty shot a quick glance at Morty and uttered lowly: "What's with this whole Lust, Wrath and Pride, "Seven" thing anyway?"

"I-I don't know..." he stuttered in honest response.

The Vampire stepped away from Rick and smiled, extending a hand to Morty, then Harold, then Kitty. He laughed at the sight of awe on Kitty's face as she gripped his hand. He finally turned to the three of them together. "I am Gluttony, though many call me Glaze. I am the owner of this home, and I am a child, nay, a leader of the Valyan Clan. It is a pleasure to make you acquaintance, Wrath of Morty, Pride of Harold, and Lust of Kitty."

Did that explain it to them then?

"O- oh, uh, y- yeah, you t- too," Morty mumbled, before noting something to himself. "Wait, wrath?"

"Thank you!" Kitty responded, grinning wide. "It's good to meet you too!"

"Yeah, man," Harold began. "It's super cool meeting you."

"I assume you are all here in need of a place to stay, am I correct?" Glaze asked, turning his head so he could look back to Rick. His skin glittered, it seemed, in the light of the lamps. "I would love to give you a place to stay for as long as you might need! Anything for Rick Sanchez and any of his companions!"

"Sw- *urp* Sweet, fucking sweet," Rick said, nodding his head before heading down a nearby hall. "I'm going to my *urp* lab here. Don't g- get yourself *urp* in trouble while I'm b- *urp* busy. No calls!"

Morty watched his grandfather disappear and groaned at it. Rick was just leaving them alone! With a Vampire! In the middle of a planet where they knew nothing about it! That was just like Rick, and it irked Morty to the core. He threw his hands up and went to follow Rick down the hall.

However, the Vampire, Glaze, stopped him short. "Rick does not like being disturbed when he is here in his laboratory. I even had it set up especially for him to use when he is here! Please, stay here."

Morty narrowed his eyes at Glaze, but his words were cut off when Harold spoke up. "So he comes here a lot? Man, that is so cool! What's it like here?"

Glaze's eyes lit up, the deep red color appearing lighter. "Oh, it is certainly amazing! I adore being one of the Chosen on this planet. We are allowed amazing privileges, and the only bad part of our lives are those who are constantly fighting against us- the Forsaken. We are constantly fighting, but as one of the Chosen, I know we will always prevail!"

Kitty squealed. "Woah, so there are different types of vampires?! That is so cool!" She grabbed Glaze's hand and grinned up at him. "Will you tell us all about your war and stuff?"

Glaze chuckled, smiling slyly at the girl. Morty didn't know why, but he felt a little jealous of the way Kitty and Glaze were looking at each other. Why did this guy have to be so damn perfect? Well yes, he was a Vampire, but that was a small sacrifice (and probably more of an advantage than anything else), for all the popularity that no doubt ensued. Kitty was smitten. It made Morty a little worried.

"-so now, when the sun sets, we hunt the Forsaken to make them pay for the crimes they have committed against us, the Chosen."

"W- wait, what?" Morty suddenly turned his focus away from the thoughts about Kitty to what Glaze had said.

"Oh, I do apologize. Were you not listening to my tale like Kitty and Pride-Harold were?" Morty shook his head. "I see! I was explaining to your friends the details concerning our current war! You see, the Forsaken attacked us in the time between night and day, leaving many of our numbers without their lives. Ever since then, we have kept them on their toes and attack them when they can not attack us. We keep our people safe."

"O- oh, okay, w- well, that's cool?" Morty stumbled across his words. Something felt wrong about that, and he felt like Glaze wasn't giving them the full story, but he was just a Morty, so what did he know? Kitty and Harold both seemed to believe him and seemed to think it was super cool, so Morty was probably just feeling weird for no reason.

So Morty waited for them to continue talking again before slipping past Glaze and running down the hall to the room Rick had gone into. Something felt weird, and Morty had to tell Rick.

"Riiiick," he began, slipping into the laboratory. "Something's w- weird about this place. I- I thought y- you said we were here to kill vampires, n- not listen to a story a-about how the vampires kill e- each other."

"We-we-we... urgh... Are, Morty." Rick slurred as he fiddled with a contraption. "I mean, I am any-brrrk-way."

Morty looked at the strange projector like device Rick was fiddling with.

"Wha... ah... what'cha got there, Rick?" Morty asked.

"God Morty, don't you ever pay attention or look through my things!?" Rick scolded. "It's my dark matter projector, it basically will project a beam of total darkness over the sun. And when that's done, the Vamps can go anywhere they like 24/7 without the risk of extreme sunburn."

Morty looked surprised. Understandably.

"Wait...that sounds helpful, not kill-ful at all." Morty said in confusion.

"Morty, my blood alcohol is in the fifth, and even I know that 'kill-ful' is not a word." Rick snorts.

"And it's not, not really." Rick said. "Alright, let me explain this 'slooooowly.'"

Morty rubbed his arm at the patronizing words of his Grandfather.

"See. I plan to do what the Vampires asked, and make the sun be blocked out." Rick holds up his hands. "They'll all be out in the street, celebrating, yeah! 'It's noon but it's pitch black out!'"

Rick's fake Transylvania accent made Morty laugh a little.

"Oh yeah, we'll ALL be laughing." Rick sneered. "Because when all the vampires are out in under the sky, bam!" Rick clapped his hands together. "The darkness will register all the 'Chosen' outside, and they'll be fried because it will vaporize and leave them exposed to the sunlight!"

Morty was startled.

"So, we're leading all the vampires into some elaborate, complicated trap?" Morty said in confusion.

"Morty, morty, morty, moo-uuuurp-dy." Rick belches loudly at the end. "It's only elaborate and complicated if you're a fuck-tard, but if you're me, it's a pathetically simple plan."

Morty rubbed his eye, fighting back the slight sting thanks to the slam on his intelligence, and focused on the matter at hand.

"So, we won't be killing any vampires?" Morty said. "I mean, not like stakes to the hearts, and what not."

"Oh no, no, no. These fuckers only die from sunlight, artificial forms of sunlight, the-uurp-song "Indian Love Call" by Slim Whitman, that one's rendered moot since every single universe has destroyed every single copy of it, and by decapitation," Rick looks Morty over. "I have SOME hope for the Asian chick with that one, but I don't think you and 'Pride' will be able to swing a sword hard enough to nick them, let alone knock off a head."

Rick came over to Morty, grabbing his arm and shaking it.

"I mean, look at these noodles you got from your dad. It's pathetic!" Rick said. "How do you open a peanut butter jar!"

Morty frowned, and jerked his arm loose.

"Oh, well. I... I should probably tell the others, just so they know and can be prepared." Morty said.

"Whatever, long as you get out of my lab so I can insert the dark matter chip." Rick said as he walked over to his work bench, grabbing tweezers, and a bottle of vodka to swig.

Rick shuddered at the taste, as Morty hurried out of the lab.

"So, Mister...Lord Glaze?" Kitty asked Glaze, causing him to nod.

"So, yeah, I have to ask." Kitty said. "I mean, what is it that Morty's Grandfather is doing for you?"

"Oh, well... that's kinda a sensitive matter, Kitty Lust." Glaze said with a nervous smile. "I can't tell you for fear of the Forsaken hearing about it. And wanting to know it to sabotage the great event, or kidnapping you for the information. Get where i'm coming from, yes?"

Glaze then gave a strange laugh, like he was amused by the idea of Kitty and Harold being taken.

Harold and Kitty stared at each other, a little distressed by that laugh.

"Uhhh... so, like. Can we walk around your castle, or are their monsters and such guarding it?" Harold asked.

Glaze laughed again, his eyes brightening to red with mirth.

"Oh, Pride, you are something else. Who would dare to attack the one of a leader of a clan?" Glaze chuckled. "You are free to look around, but I must go and feed now, but do try to return in time for Rick to show up and present his invention."

Kitty and Harold nodded in agreement, definitely not wanting to witness Greed feeding on anyone.

As the two walked down the hallways, Harold turned to Kitty.

"So, do you think they feed the old fashioned way," Harold asked. "Or do they hook people up to machines like cows, and drain the blood from them?"

"Ewww! Harold, I don't want to think of Vampires drinking blood!" Kitty shivered as they strolled down a hallway with paintings.

"Well, I mean, we ARE in a world with Vampires, it's only natural." Harold said.

"There is NOTHING natural about this Harold." Kitty said.

"Point taken. But I don't get one thing..." Harold hummed.

"What?" Kitty asked.

"Aren't we here to kill the Vampires?" Harold asked. "Or at least the ones in charge?"

"What do you mean?" Kitty said stopping in front of a large oil painting of a dark forest, Harold joined her in standing in front of it.

"Well, these 'Chosen' are clearly the head hanchos. But what about the 'forsaken?'" Harold asked again. "I mean, why are they like... cast out?"

"Because, they did a bad thing and killed a bunch of the Chosen." Kitty said.

"But the chosen are blood sucking vampires who feed on the humans and are named after 'Sins.'" Harold pointed out in concern.

"The Chosen must've done something really bad, I mean... bad enough for other blood sucking vampires to want to kill them." Harold said.

"You have a excellent point..."

"Thanks." Harold smiled.

Kitty turned pale.

"I...didn't say anything." Kitty said.

"Then...who did?" Harold asked.

They turned suddenly when the painting slid up, and revealed three lovely vampire ladies, two with brown and red hair, and one with golden hair done up in a skull hair pin.

"We did." The three said in stereo.

"AAAAAH!" Kitty and Harold screamed.

But too late, as the three grabbed and pulled them through the empty painting frame, which slid back down to look like a normal painting.

Morty suddenly ran around the corner, looking alarmed.

"Guys? Guys!?" Morty shouts. "Kitty! Harold!"

Morty paced down the Hallway, looking around in alarm, no sign of his friends seen.

"Oh man, oh man, where did they go?" Morty stopped in front of the same painting.

"Oh God, I got to tell them of Rick's plan to kill the Chosen," Morty said to himself. "But...where did they go? Did the Chosen find out, are they... they feeding on Kitty and Harold in revenge!?"

Morty paces in front of the painting as it slides up, the Vampiresses watch him with a coy look, and make gestures like they're about to grab him, without him noticing.

"I mean, how can I have been so stupid!? I should've lied, and said Rick didn't want them to come!" Morty scolded himself. "And now, now they could be dead, or worse! Vampires!"

On shouting that last bit, Morty turned around and the Vampiresses struck a pose, as if they were a still painting, catching Morty off guard.

He stared at the painting in disbelief, and looked around in confusion.

"Huh..." Morty hummed.

He examined the painting for a couple of seconds, and when he reached out to touch it.

"GAG TIME!" The blonde vampire squealed, grabbing Morty's hand.

"AHHHH!" Morty screamed.

The girls laughed as they pulled Morty into the painting, things going to darkness within an instant.

Several minutes later, Morty came to his senses, he was in a large ballroom, and was between Kitty and Harold. The two sat in large easy chairs, as was he. And they were snacking on some croissant hotdogs, corndogs and other little snacks.

"Oh, hi, Morty." Kitty said around a mouthful before she swallowed. "How are you doing? You were out for a bit."

"Guys? Wha...what happened!?" Morty asked in alarm.

"Care for a corndog?" Harold said holding one up.

He quickly looked at their necks for any bite marks, and they stared back before laughing.

"Relax Morty, no bloodsucking this lifetime." Kitty said with a giggle.

"Too bad though, I wonder if being turned a vampire gives you sick abs?" Harold thought to himself.

"It's more of a screening process." A voice spoke out. "We tend to only turn the attractive people, as they have better luck finding a willing donor."

At that, there was a swishing sound, and various Vampire appeared. All of them, dressed in elegant clothing, red, white and black.

The three women from before were dressed in white, while a man wearing a black sweater, black jeans, and black gloves with Black hair stood out from the rest. "Plus that instant transformation thing is complete bunk."

He approached the trio with a smile.

"I do apologize if Marsha, Angelica and Lydia alarmed you, Humility" The Vampire said flashing a fang. "But I did ask them to be quick in retrieving you three."

Morty looked around in concern.

"Who... who are you guys?" Morty asked.

"These are the Forsaken, Morty. Gawd. You'd think it be obvious the way, they snuck around the place. If they were the chosen, they wouldn't have to hide, would they?" Harold said.

"Be nice." Kitty huffed.

"Yes, Diligence, Listen to Kindness." The male said.

"Don't worry, Morty." Kitty turned to him. "They're not how those other vamps described them, in fact. They're quite nice."

"Nice? Since when is blood sucking nice?" Morty asked.

"I will tell you, Humility!" Morty turned to the vampire speaking. "When we tend to the people we feed on, we make sure they eat enough to replace the blood and are unharmed!" The Vampire in black said vehemently. "It's only fair."

"Unlike those ogres, the 'Chosen.'" The blonde vampire said with air quotes. "I tell you, they don't care if the people they feed on die, or how painful it is where they bite!"

"You are quite correct, Angelica." The vampire in black said with a nod.

"Morty, this is Drake. He's the leader of the forsaken," Kitty said. "They're kinda like Rebels, trying to overthrow the cruel Chosen."

Harold nodded eagerly. "Yeah, see. The Chosen are all bogus," Harold said with exaggerated hand gestures. "It seems, these vampires only need a pint of blood four times a year to be healthy, and not anymore."

"But those 'Chosen' are all about 'excess is best' and being superior. The Forsaken are pretty down to Earth." Kitty said.

"The fact they have normal names, instead of sins for titles is a clue in itself." Harold added.

"But they do refer to humans by their virtues," Kitty said with a giggle. "Which being told I'm Kind is better then called 'Lustful.'"

Morty looked at Drake and the others in shock.

"So...you aren't with the Chosen? But... I don't get it, if you don't follow their lifestyle," Morty said before Kitty cut in.

"Or UN-life style." Kitty giggled, before clearing her throat awkwardly. "Sorry..."

They stared at Kitty briefly, before turning back to Morty.

"You three do carry your own virtues." Drake was quick to tell, in an almost ominous tone. "Kindness...Humility...Diligence. Naturally, these will affect you in the future, but how exactly... well, it's hard to say. It may lead you to good things should you combine your powers-"

"What is this Young Adult bullshit?" Morty muttered. There was a slight pause before Drake spoke up himself.

"WE HOPED to get you to talk to you, because Rick Sanchez-Knowledge is too carefully guarded." Drake said. "We wanted to convince you, to talk Rick-Knowledge out of finishing his device."

"Wait. You know about the device?" Morty said in shock.

Suddenly, a wall exploded, and in it poured a whole horde of vampires, in fact it with The Chosen!

"Oh, this bites!" Marsha sighed.

"N-nice one." Morty uttered wearily, almost wanting to facepalm himself at the obvious joke.

And they were surrounded, soon Glaze appeared with Rick holding his device.

"Well, well, well, it seems we found the rats in our walls." Glaze snickered.

"Hey!" Drake snapped, hissing at the various vampires surrounding them all.

"Don't diss the Lovecraft Reference!" Rick was quick to point out until something caught his attention. "He-urrrk." He groaned out, stumbling a bit, almost dropping the device. "Hey! Morty, here you are..." Rick peered at them all with a frown. "Why the fuck did you wander off?"

Morty gaped. "Wha...you told me to..." Morty started, but Rick soon cut him off.

"L-l-l-look..." Rick stuttered. "I don't have time to listen to you prattle on, I need to-belch-activate my device, and I don't got time to s-urp-earch for you and your little friends."

"NO!" Drake shouted. "You can't activate the device!"

Morty looked alarmed, as Harold and Kitty looked annoyed.

"Will SOMEONE tell us, what this device is all about!?" Kitty snapped.

"Mmmmm~ I will gladly inform you, Dear Lust." Glaze said gleefully.

Glaze stepped forward with a flourish, and gestured out towards his fellow vampires.

"We all here are constrained by our annoying little allergy to sunlight." Glaze said with a frown. "And we are greedy, lustful, gluttons for more darkness, to be able to wander freely in the open without the sun screaming "FUCK YOU!" every second, burning us into nothing." Glaze explained before gesturing to Rick. "And our dear friend, Avarice Rick, agreed to build us a device to end the sun problem once and for all."

"WHAT!?" Kitty yelped in horror.

"For a fee. Something like this is no small feat." Glaze admits.

"You gotta be crazy!" Harold shouts.

"Not likely, we've dreamed of this moment forever and will see it come to light, Pride." Glaze growled with his eyes glowing red.

"This! This here is what caused the Schism." Drake said to the kids. "We of the 'Forsaken' could not abide this horrible idea, and for that we attempted to take them out, and in turn they seek to destroy us."

"Wait...you're vampires too," Morty spoke up. "Why don't you want to have the sun blocked out forever?"

Drake turned to Morty, "Because, Dear Boy. If the sun is gone, all plants will die, without plants no animals, no animals and plants, no humans to feed on. You learn anything from "The Lion King"? And even though we need only feed four times a year, it still comes to naught without humans!"

Glaze rolled his eyes, crossing his arms.

"Oh please, that is ridiculous. And really, what else are humans meant for if not for feeding on?" Glaze turned to Rick with a sheepish expression. "No offense."

"Can't say you're wrong." Rick groaned, mouth pressed together to hold back a belch.

"Besides, we are immortal. Unless we have our heads cut off, or walk into sunlight, there's nothing to kill us." Glaze said arrogantly.

"Oh puh-lease! Are you listening to yourself!?" Kitty shouts.

"Excuse me, Lust?" Glaze said with a frown, hand on his hip.

"Well, come on, Drake said you need to feed four times a year to be healthy, and you don't even have to kill the people!" Kitty scolded. "I mean, sure it seems like a good idea NOW! But have you any idea what the nutrition withdrawal will do to your kind? I mean, sure. You can't die, but has anyone of you gone a full year without eating to see what would happen? Kitty continued.

"ALL vampires need blood, or the hunger would just render you all psycho," Harold chimed in. "And then you'd be eating each other, and soon there'd be no vampires, or humans left. Just a dead, dark Earth. GAWD!"

"I don't expect you to understand, Fools." Glaze glared. "And it will not matter, because now we will enact our plan. Blocking out the sun forever, and then freely being able to rack down and feed on any humans we want 24/7, like a Las Vegas buffet!" Glaze sneered at Drake. "Made even better, by having all the Forsaken here to see our moment of Triumph!"

Glaze and the Chosen all snickered in glee at this plan.

"No!" Kitty gasped in alarm.

"Oh man, this is so not how I hoped this would go!" Harold exclaimed.

"Once the device is activated, we can proceed to 'finishing off' our dear siblings." Glaze crowed in delight.

Rick was swaying on his feet, as Glaze turned to look at him, and frowned in concern.

"That is... the device IS finished, isn't it?" Glaze asked.

"Yah, yah. I just-Urp-I need my grandson's help with a small thing," Rick said. "And then it's all r-aaargh-dy."

Glaze sighed with a furrowed brow, pinching his nose bridge.

"Honestly, the sooner you finish and the sooner you leave the better." Glaze said to himself. "Fine, go and talk to him, but be sharp about it!"

"Yeah yeah, Fuck ya, I know what I'm doing!" Rick slurred, flipping Glaze the bird.

The other vampires growled and hissed, but Glaze held them back with a glare and a shake of his head, he may have admired the scientist's work, but he was still a Rick, the insults were to be expected.

"Rick, you can't do this!" Kitty said earnestly.

"Yeah, they might be blood-suckers, but the Forsaken don't deserve this!" Harold exclaimed.

"God, Morty. Why'd you bring them along? I only needed you," Rick stands and leans on Morty. "And your ability to see colors."

Rick held up the device for Morty to look at.

"Wait... wha..." Morty sounded confused.

"Now, are there two buttons here?" Rick asked.

"Yes." Morty answered, still bit dumbfounded, as if it wasn't obvious enough.

"And is one green, and one red?" Rick asked.

"Yes, yes, but you can..." Morty started.

"Oh, good, then I should be able to press the GREEN button and not press the RED button." Rick said holding it back, and clearly hovering his finger over the red button.

"Wait...why is he..." Harold started to point out, but Kitty nudged him hard.

"Mmmmmm-yep!" Rick said as he pushed the red button.

The device suddenly began glowing a strange purple light, and hovered into the air, and instantly.

"AHHHHH!" A Chosen female vampire screamed in horror and pain, as she was incinerated.

"What!?" Glaze yelled.

The room was in a panic, as the other vampires buzzed in alarm and horror, as the Device flew faster then a hummingbird, and vaporized the various Chosen, some with a quick death, some with a more prolonged death, but leaving the Forsaken untouched. Whoever managed to survive then proceeded to fight back, grabbing swords, or just a Forsaken's head to rip them off and kill them. Though even then, the numbers game wasn't in their favor here.

As for the women and children, well, let's simply say that neither the device nor the Forsaken cared if those on the side of their rivals could fight or were innocent.

A young Chosen son, looking not older than three, watched his mother, who tried to defend her only progeny against one of the Forshaken, take the long blade of steel across the neck, severing tendons and bone as blood quickly splashed onto his face. But before the young could react, his skin began to burn before it, along with his muscles and bone structure was incinerated into nothing but ashes that simply blew into the wind, as did his mother's already decapitated corpse and head. Sometimes, it was the reverse, with the women watching the young fail first before them.

The weapon even went after the old and frail among the chosen, though their deaths were almost welcome, as if the idea of a quick and painless death was better than living in a world of never ending darkness, living longer in their bodies which even blood can no longer rejuvenate.

"WHAT THE FUCK, RICK-AVARICE!?" Glaze bellowed. "WHAT IS GOING ON!?"

"Oh, did I accidentally put in the UV Sun-light Chip instead of the dark matter one," Rick said in mock surprise. "And programmed it to track down every single Chosen? My bad."

Rick's words had the kids looking overjoyed, and Rick held out a hand, causing Harold to high five him with glee.

"Yeah, Rick you are the man!" Harold praised.

"Oh wow! I was sooooooo worried for a second there." Kitty said.

"Not me. I mean... Rick kinda already told me he had a plan to sabotage the device," Morty admitted, those still unnerved by how the plan turned out. "But not like this."

"Yeah, I figured it would be easier, and not leave any loose ends. Plus, there are two devices. If anyone was listening in and destroyed the other device, I'd have this bad boy." Rick said as he wiped his drooling mouth.

"YOU! YOU ANIMAL, YOU FOUL BETRAYER!" Glaze snarled.

"Seriously, you're that surprised?" Rick snarked, not a care in the world.

It was then Glaze lunged forward, and grabbed Kitty around the neck.

"I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU REGRET THIS SANCHEZ!" Glaze hissed. "Starting with the Pretty Lust!"

"NO!" Morty yelled.

"Le-let go!" Kitty cried out, choking a little.

Morty turned, spotting a sword that had been held by a Chosen, now turned to Ashes, as if his mind in a brief instance, went red, went and grabbed the sword.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Morty screamed loudly for everyone to hear.

Glaze turned in surprise, not suspecting someone such as Morty, catching him off guard as the sword wielded by the young boy sliced off the Chosen's head in one swipe at the neck, letting it drop to the ground before the body did the same, it's eyes looking up at the Morty still in surprise before finally, his body burst into golden flames, embers flying all over until it was the head's turn. They say that your brain functions for a few minutes after death, if left intact. The only thought still ringing throughout Glaze's mind until it, along with the rest of the brain, turned into ashes was how he could be caught off guard by, of all things, a Morty.

"Ahhh!" Kitty screamed as Drake and Harold pulled her away, out of the dead vampires grip. Dusting any errant flames on her clothes off.

Morty panted, watching as the rest of the Chosen were either burned up by Rick's device, or killed by a Forsaken. The chaos was unfathomable, the sudden realization that he was forced to take another's life, frighteningly enough, not at all at the suggestion or influence of his grandfather. He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

Yet... somehow things managed to work out.

"R-Rick...you...you did it..." Morty was pale, a little shaky on his feet. Naturally, after all of this, he was feeling quite terrified, though his brave act couldn't go unnoticed.

Harold was as lost as ever, and as for Kitty, well, she didn't quite know how to feel. It was only clear to her that she had been wrapped around Glaze's little finger for quite some time there...

However, that was all over now.

"Morty, you...you saved me..."

She approached the boy and smiled, before suddenly pulling him in for a hug. Morty was stiff and shaky, and he didn't really return it, but man did it feel good to be this close to her. But the thoughts of all those killed, either by the machine, their enemies, himself, still rung loudly within, like a alarm clock in the morning screaming "FUCKING WAKE UP! FUCKING WAKE UP! FUCKING WAKE UP!". It... can do stuff to a mind like his.

"I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't. I mean really, I was up the creek without a paddle there, haha!"

Kitty may have been laughing and jesting and joking around already, but Morty's fitting pale face said it all.

"S-sorry guys, this one of the many reasons why I...I don't like going on adventuress... E-Especially this kind, the-the... stuff you don't see... the dark side of 'em."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. This chapter was supposed to show the dark side of Rick and Morty Adventures' Kitty and Harold. The idea for this chapter was developed by me and my friend Rufus T. Serenity. It was his idea to set this adventure in a vampire controlled world. But it was my idea to use the content of Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Heavenly Virtues. I was thinking what flaws and virtues Morty, Kitty, and Harold can have. Another author once told me that to write a character personality, go by a simple rule: 3 vices and 3 virtues. This means that your character needs a winning trait in their personality, but then they also need a flaw to compensate. If your character has too many good traits, they come across as too perfect, and everyone is guilty of having flaws, no matter how much they try to hide them. So I researched the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Heavenly Virtues on TV Tropes and decided to use them in this chapter. The flaws and virtues that Morty, Kitty, and Harold were mentioned to have in this chapter will have a effect in this story as you will see how their flaws and virtues will effect them.


	11. Merry Rickmas and to all a Good Flight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Hello Im back with a new chapter. This is a Christmas chapter that original was suppose to be posted on Christmas. Better late then never I suppose. This chapter is a breather episode with Morty and his friends enjoying Christmas, those there will be a adventure, the events of the last chapter, along with season 1 episode Anatomy Park will be mention. This chapter is set after the events of Anatomy Park. Also This chapter was work on by three different writers. The first part and ending was work on by my friend and reviewer of this story Vanessa Masters. The middle park was made by Lesbianerd from Tumblr. Finally, jc013 from DeviantArt made the finishing edited of this chapter.

Flashback

And now, the group was staring at the ashes of the Sins, which various female vampires were now sweeping up into decent sized urns.

"Man, this was some heavy dark stuff." Harold said in shock.

"I know, it's...stunning. One minute they're alive..." Kitty starts to say.

"They're Vampires, not alive, not dead either Girlie." Rick burped.

"And the NEXT." Kitty glares at Rick. "They're all dust, I mean...sure, they wanted to block out the sun. And that was a terrible thing."

"Y-yeah, because then they'd kill everyone, either through feeding on them, or death from no plants growing for food." Morty said sadly.

"And now, THEY'RE the ones gone, extinct." Harold sighed. "Undead man, woman, and child."

"Well, the Chosen are gone, not the good ones," Kitty stated. "I mean, Drake, Marsha, Angelica and Lydia ARE the good guys, right?"

"Well, as good as blood drinking, undead creatures can be, Sweetness." Lydia remarked.

"No arguments made, what happened with the Chosen is a terrible thing," Drake proclaimed. "But so was what they were going to do with their crazy plan to block out the sun."

"If there had been any other way, we would've taken that path instead," Angelica said as she shoveled some ash into a huge vase before looking to the side. "Do we have any more of the big vase's?"

"Believe us, Genocide was NOT what we wanted when trying to AVOID Genocide." Marsha proclaimed. Lydia suddenly sneezed some 'dusted' vampire Chosen into her face, causing Angelica to freak out and rush over with a handkerchief.

"We had hoped to convince them to take a more peaceful solution," Drake said with a heavy sigh as he watched the antics of the three vampiresses.

"But like those on, what you humans call "Twitter", they are a stubborn group, and in the end this fate was of their own making." Drake said.

"And now you can make fertilizer out uuuuuurp-of them!" Rick remarked.

"Rick!" Morty scolds.

"Wha-ack-t? It's true." Rick said. "Wo-hurk-st case scenario, the Chosen would've reached the limit of their 'immortality' and starved to death without the humans, WITHOUT actually dying."

"And spent eternity crazed from hunger, or ate each other." Harold chipped in.

"UGH! Harold, Gross!" Kitty gagged.

"He's not wrong. The fa-urp-ct is...urk. They were leading themselves into do-ooooo-hm either way," Rick pointed out. "Now, they aren't dragging anyone else with them in the process."

"Well, luckily, your common sense, and inner goodness won out over evil and greed." Kitty said in inspired manner.

"WOW, you still don't kn-errp- ow me, I didn't just do this to save the humans, Girlie." Rick brushed off. "No, Drake here promised me a sample of his own blood, You see, i was planning on marketing a serum that can provide those who are dying some... extra time, delay whatever's killing 'em so they have more time to spend with family, find the cure, blah-blah-blah"

"WHAT!?" Morty exclaimed in shock.

"AND a million other benefits i'm sure ain't registering in my head at the moment..." Rick began before a thought came to mind. "Well, not REALLY a million, more a dozen benefits if anything."

"All of this, you weren't helping the Forsaken for the sake of saving innocents?" Morty asked in upset.

"Of course not, Mor-ORP-ty it was a side project. And besides, the Forsaken aren't so 'uppity' about sharing their blood. Or Drake isn't." Rick gestured to the vampire. "In fact, he's cool with it, promised me a liter of his blood, and I would help take out the Chosen."

"A liter!?" Morty exclaimed.

"It needs to be a lot, Morty. It might be hit and miss, even if I only need one drop of blood." Rick said through his gagging, as he drunk from a wine bottle. "May as well have some extra on hand."

"How much is a liter?" Harold asked in shock.

"About eight gils?" Rick estimated.

"Yes, well, we can do that in my bed chambers, where I keep the dialysis machine," Drake said putting a arm around Rick. "Come, let us get that taken care of now."

Drake then guided Rick out of the room, and for good reason, seeing as how the three teens were glaring at Rick's backside.

"So, that was a horrible reveal." Kitty said as Lydia, Marsha and Angelica approached them.

"You'll find that horrible things relate a lot to the vampires," Angelica said as Marsha was adjusting her hair. "Or at least it would, but this is actually a GOOD outcome."

Marsha huffed.

"I just wish It didn't turn out with me getting dead Chosen in my face, but we all have to make sacrifices for greater good." Marsha sighed.

"Speaking of Good and Evil," Harold pipes up. "Mind explaining something to us, if you don't mind?"

"Sure, whatever you like, Diligence." Angelica stated.

"Yeah, that..." Harold points at her. "Where did we get these...nicknames, the Chosen called us a sin, and your calling us a virtue."

"Oh, that's easy enough to explain," Angelica stated. "Your virtues are what best define you as a person, your best, and worst feature."

Marsha points to Harold.

"You are diligent, due to your dedication and trying your best to accomplish stuff. You never give up." Marsha said as Harold listened. "But at the same time, your sin is Pride, and you have a tendency to look at yourself highly, thankfully your virtue sorta evens it out."

"What? No way, I am not prideful, I just know what I'm super good at." Harold proclaimed.

"That's Pride, Harold." Kitty points out.

"And our dear Kindness," Lydia cuts in, popping up behind said girl. "Your compassionate is stretched out to all beings, you even showed kindness to us Forsaken, even if we are blood drinkers."

"Well, I mean, it's only fair." Kitty said with a blush.

"Yet your sin is Lust, but not in the obvious way you would expect, sadly..." Lydia remarks, muttering that last part to herself, confusing Kitty before resuming. "No, your 'lust' is for life, to live it to the extreme and with wild abandon. Thou your extremes are 'positive', they are with little in the way of restraint, so... head's up."

Kitty blushed, but didn't deny what had been said about herself either.

"And last, but certainly not least is Mortimer." Angelica turned with a fanged smile. "Humility is his divine virtue, which also is a cocktail mixture of bravery, modesty, and reverence. You do not regard yourself highly, and have a high self-assurance of your being, no pride for you, Morty."

Angelica turned to look to the side with a wicked grin, chin resting on the back of her hand as she stared ahead.

"But your greatest virtue is also accompanied with a great Sin, WRATH." Angelica declared, which caught the three humans attention, especially Morty himself.

"It is a terrible sin, it injures both the possessor and those around them, both figurely and physically speaking." Angelica warned. "You come off as meek, and submissive, but all that, what's the term?... self-deprecation does no one any good, and leads to your rage and resentment to boil to the top."

She gestured out with wild wave of her arms.

"It is a blinding rage, which makes you lash out and cause pain to all others, regardless of any pain on you and if your friends are present. And in your special case, it's... OH, how do you put it Flair?" Angelica noted, looking behind Harold and Kitty.

A Forsaken, with a flowing mop of blonde hair, wearing a sparkling blue and silver robe with sunglasses popped out behind the two teens. "WWWOOO!" He let out loudly before vanishing, catching the two offguard.

Though both Kitty and Harold's attention turned back to Morty as they looked at him, startled by this statement, and which seems too out of place with their friend Morty.

"These are more then just attributes, they are things that will effect you dearly in the future, children." Lydia began before the other Forsaken followed suit. "One way, or the other." The three ladies said as one.

Everyone was chilled by this statement, and jumped when a voice called out.

"Ok-aaaaaay, losers and Kitty. Let's get a-going!" Rick said coming in from the next room.

(End flashback)

And with that, Rick left with the three teens, and that was the last they saw of the Vampire world. But it still heavily effected the trio, as the memory didn't disappear for several weeks, especially for Morty.

For one thing, there was the little adventure inside of that homeless guy, with the organ themed and made amusement park. Morty shivered.

"And then us getting in that 'Blumbus' dimension, and nearly getting screwed, killed and cooked."

Morty was laying on his bed in his bedroom as he contemplated the past events to himself.

The cell near Morty's bed rang, and he immediately picked it up.

"Hello?" Morty asked.

"Oh, hey, Morty. Just calling to ask if your still coming up to my Christmas party." Harold asked.

"Oh yeah, sure, totally." Morty said. 'Especially given how I was nearly killed by a God like being called Mr. Chimney, and come on by him...yeah, this party is a good idea." Morty began to explain. "See, I kinda had a weird experience, so this party is just the ticket to forget ALL about that."

Harold hummed on the other end.

"I'm just glad it didn't keep you away over Christmas, we all know how crazy your grandpa can be." Harold replied on his end of the phone call. "I mean, given how we were all nearly killed by vampires that time before and you went on TWO more nutso trips with your Grandpa?"

"I did, indeed." Morty sighed heavily.

"What happened exactly?" Harold asked.

"Oh, you know, I went to a amusement park inside of a hobo guy, that was weird... compared to the usual, especially with girl, who stayed behind to rebuild the place." Morty said matter of fact, remembering.

"And then we went to another Dimension where they were already celebrating their 'Christmas' which was Blumbus. A holiday where they bring in orphan boys off the street, and have sex with him before killing it to eat him."

"WHAT!? BRO, DID YOU GET YOUR V-BIRD PUNCHED!?" Harold asked quite loudly.

Morty held the cell away from his ear with a grimace.

"No! No...I mean, I did get a kiss from this one girl, Melody." Morty explained, the memory of her and what happened popping back into mind. "But I bolted out of there when she said I was going to be killed after 'intercourse."

"Oh wow, I don't think I'd have had the strength to run for my life," Harold said sadly. "I've been pent up so long, I don't think I value my life over my virginity, cause what's the point of living if your a virgin?"

Morty didn't know what to say about that, honestly, though the Forsaken's words started to come back into mind, only to shake it off.

"Look, I didn't have sex, but I did kiss Melody. As for Anne, appearently i dodged a bullet since Rick said she had a puffy vagina or something like that, regardless, I'd appreciate if you didn't tell Kitty any of what i just told you." Morty said. "I mean, Melody's dead anyway, since a 'Mr. Chimney', their Santa GOD, or whatever showed up to kill her and her family with a sonic scream."

Harold was silent on the other end.

"I survived, and Rick killed Mr. Chimney." Morty said on his end.

"Bro, you really DO need this party, STAT." Harold said in shock.

*Beep-Beep-Beep*

Morty jumped as his phone started to beep.

"Oh, oh man, that's Kitty now!" Morty said in surprise. "Harold, I got to take this. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, man. See ya." Harold exclaimed.

"Bye." Morty then hung up on Harold, by pressing a button and pressed the other one to link in Harold.

"Hello, Kitty?" Morty asked.

"Hi, Morty. OH MY GOSH! I am Soooooo excited for Harold's party, aren't you?" Kitty asked.

"Yeah, totally, I was just talking to him." Morty said.

"Wow, total coincidence, huh?" Kitty gushed on her end.

"Yeah, amazing." Morty said blushing, glad Kitty couldn't see him. Hell, he's still amazed he was talking to a girl so casually.

"Look, I know I said my friends Devin and Carrie would be at the party, but sadly they can't come." Kitty said. "So, I'm afraid you'd have to see them another time."

"That's alright, but your still coming, right?" Morty asked.

"Oh, totally." Kitty said a huge smile in her voice. "Oh, by the way, my parents wanted to know, if they could meet YOUR parents."

Kitty said it quickly, and was sorta out of the blue, so Morty flailed out of his bed, barely keeping a hold of his cell.

"They want to...why?" Morty asked flabbergasted.

"Well, it's just a way of getting to know my best friend through his family," Kitty Explained. "My parents did it with all my friends, girl, or boy. There's no issue."

Morty gulped. "Well, when do they want to meet them?" He asked.

"Oh, maybe next Saturday, I think would be best for them." Kitty said.

"Oh alright, I'll ask and let you know, okay?" Morty asked.

"Yeah, that sounds good. Talk to you then, bye." Kitty said good-bye as she hung up.

Fortunately for Morty, his parents and Grandparents were still home, and he went down to speak to them in the kitchen, where they were gathered.

"Mom, Dad, can I ask you something?" Morty asked.

"What is it, Honey?" Beth asked.

"My friend Kitty's parents want to meet you and dad, and talk so to get a feel of the kind of family I come from." Morty explained. "And they can only meet up next Saturday."

"Oh, Bud, we'd love to." Jerry said. "But your moms got to attend a veterinarians convention that Saturday out of town, and I got to drive her there and back."

"Because there's NO WAY I'm staying on a bus with THOSE male chauvinist, Vet-Pigs, both literal, and figuratively, fuck those guys" Beth said heatedly, quickly muttering to herself so Jerry's parents couldn't hear.

"Well, now, it's not too difficult a problem," Joyce piped up. "Morty, Sweetheart, I'm sure they'll be fine if me and your Grandpa meet them. They must be understanding people if their daughter is your friend."

"And she must be a nice girl, the way you talk about her, Morty." Leonard teased. "So, your Grandmother and I would like to meet her and her family."

"Sure, I'll let Kitty know now." Morty said. "Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa."

Morty hurried on upstairs to tell Kitty, passing by his sister who was on the phone.

"Yeah, Lindsay, me and Dakota are excited to go to that Christmas party," Summer said, and looked over her shoulder as Morty passed by. "Merry Christmas, Morty!"

Morty waves back at his sister he hurries upstairs.

"Merry Christmas, Summer." Morty said in passing to his sister.

Harold carefully laid out board games on the coffee table. He set marshmallows, cinnamon sticks, and peppermints out for a build-your-own hot chocolate bar. He even dug out all the extra hats and scarves possible from every closet in the house, for what would hopefully be a truly amazing snowman building contest.

Today, he had invited all of his friends over for a Christmas party. Or Yule, as Dawn would put it, today was only the twenty-first, but it was never too early to get into the holiday spirit.

There was only one problem.

Harold peeked into the mixing bowl he had been fussing over for hours, as if fifteen minutes away would have sorted out the mess inside. No such luck.

He had been trying to make gingerbread. It would an awesome winter activity, to make cookies with his friends, have them all decorate them however they wanted, it would surely yield some awesome and hilarious results. Or so he had thought.

Instead, the mixture in the bowl looked less like gingerbread, and more like a lumpy, tri-colored mush. It was definitely not up to par.

He'd been having trouble with it from the start, he was supposed to mix the butter and sugar together, but they just weren't blending right. And then he'd thrown all the other ingredients in hopes that that would help. No such luck.

He was just contemplating running off to the store to buy a premade tube of dough, when the doorbell rang. Well, too late for that.

"Coming!" The nerd said, running over to the entry way and pulled the door open to reveal Dawn and Cody standing outside, laden with wrapped presents.

"Hey guys! Come on in!" Harold said.

The two shuffled inside.

"We may have gone overboard on the gifts." Cody said.

"Nonsense," Dawn replied, "you can never go overboard on showing your friends you care."

She set down her own stack of presents, dusted herself off, and gave Harold a hug.

"Now Harold," she said, pulling backward, "I can see from your aura that something is bothering you. What is it? If you'd like to say."

"Jeez, well, I guess you could say I'm having cookie issues.

The two followed Harold as he led them into the kitchen. Cody wrinkled his nose when he revealed the mixture to them.

"Hmm," Dawn murmured. "I can see how this would be dissatisfying."

"Dude, you didn't soften the butter enough." Cody gestured vaguely. "You've got to make it so everything can like, incorporate."

"Huh, I didn't think that through then, guess I should start over?"

Dawn clapped her hands. "Oh Yes! That would be fun! We could help you!"

They settle into the kitchen. Harold pulls out two new sticks of butter from the fridge, and sets them on the counter.

"Now what?"

"Should we microwave them a little bit?" Cody asks.

"Oh no!" Dawn exclaims, "The outcome of that would just be disastrous! Melted butter everywhere!"

Harold decides to take her word for it.

"So what should we do? Just leave them out for a while?"

"That is the safest course of action, yes."

Harold groans. "That's going to take forever! We don't have time!"

Almost as if to prove his point, the doorbell rings. "And i'm right!"

"Oh! It's Morty!" Dawn smiles. "Maybe he'll have some ideas."

Harold doesn't bother to ask how she knows who's at the door. By this point he's used to Dawn's somewhat unnerving abilities. He runs off to answer the door.

It turns out it is indeed Morty, along with his grandpa Rick, and Kitty.

"Hey! It's my adventure squad!"

Rick snorts derisively. "Okay Space Cadet, *urp* if you say so."

Harold ignores the comment and waves them inside.

"H-hey man," Morty says. "How are you?"

"Been better Morty my dude, we're having technical difficulties with the cookies."

Harold leads them to the kitchen, where Cody has unwrapped one of the sticks and started prodding it with a fork, an immensely bored expression on his face.

Dawn claps her hands when she sees them.

"Morty! It's good to see you!" She shifts her gaze to Rick and narrows her eyes. "And you must be Rick."

"The one and only, ignoring multiple universes and timelines. *urp*"

Kitty leans over the bowl containing Harold's first attempt at cookies and wrinkles her nose.

"Let me guess, cold butter?"

"Yes!" Harold says. "Damn, how does everyone seem to know how to make these except me?"

Kitty rests a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Harold, practice makes perfect! How about we do something else fun while we wait?"

The others agree and head over to the living room for board games.

"Well *urp* guess I'd better leave you kids to deal with your first world problems *urp* try not to lose too many brain cells in the process." Rick says, as he heads for the door.

Morty's PoV

Morty runs to stop Rick before he leaves the driveway. "Rick, wait!"

"What Morty, *urp* you ready to ditch those little cretins already?"

"No!" Morty pants. "Harold seemed really disappointed about those cookies, I know you can do something, please?"

"Listen Morty, *urp* I don't have time to make sure a bunch of kids get their daily overdose of sugar and butter, Morty."

"Oh come on!" Morty cries, getting frustrated. "I've helped you with so many things, so many times, without question! Why can't you do this one simple thing for me and my friends!"

Rick rolls his eyes. "Fine *urp* but only to stop your whining, Morty."

He pulls out his portal gun and opens up a swirling green portal. He steps inside and disappears for few minutes.

He returns, and shoves two sticks of room-temperature butter towards Morty.

"Here Morty *urp* you happy now?"

"Thanks! How'd you get them?"

"I went a few hours ahead in time, *urp* broke back into the house and took them out of the kitchen. It's not rocket science, Morty."

"You- oh, whatever. Thanks Rick!" Morty runs back inside.

Rick stood there, wondering if he should... nah, he'll keep it a surprise.

Morty finds Harold and the rest of the friends in the living room, where Harold seems to be explaining some sort of tabletop board game. He looks up when Morty comes in.

"Hey Man, do you want to play as- woah, is that what I think it is?"

Morty just nods, holding up the butter triumphantly.

Harold breaks out into a grin. "Wow Morty, You really came through!"

And with that the group moves to the kitchen for gingerbread making round two as both Zoey and Noah shown up soon after they started mixing ingredients, and joined in on the fun.

What started out as diligent cookie making soon devolved into an all-out flour war. Morty leaped and dodged fistfuls of the powder and accidentally bumped into a giggling Kitty, who was already covered in a light dusting that looked like snow. They both toppled over.

"S-sorry!"

Kitty grinned back at him as he helped her up. "That's okay, it comes with the territory! Help me get the rest of these guys!"

In spite of everything, they wound up with a sizable and tasty looking wad of gingerbread dough. It might not make Gordon Ramsey proud, but for the seven friends it was more than good enough.

Harold dug out a bag of cookie cutters for the others to choose from, while Cody started rolling out the dough.

Dawn dug through the cookie cutter bag, fishing out one that on closer inspection appeared to be the outline of one of the little alien dudes from toy story. She held it out to Morty.

"I have a feeling this will be the cookie shape you align with most, would you like it."

"Oh, uh, okay." Morty took the cookie cutter. He had to admit, it was pretty cute, even if Rick has said the Aliens from the film were consistered blackface to a race known as the Zaffin.

Kitty grabbed a cutter shaped like a velociraptor with glee.

"Where do you get these things, Harold?"

Harold looked over. "Oh, yeah, my family has kind of a tradition, we have to find the weirdest cookie cutters we can every winter and add them to our collection. I think there's even one shaped like Mexico in there."

They each get their cookies into the oven and head back to the living room for board games while Harold sets the timer.

After a brutal round of Uno, Marvel cinematic universe edition, that ended with an out-of-nowhere win from Zoey, Harold tried to get some more infomation from Morty about the Amusement Park adventure, though like a fool, he asked a little too loud, making the others want to hear the story to Morty's embarrassment. Thank whatever being out there Harold didn't bring up the Blumbus or Vampire adventures.

"Well, for some reason, Rick decided to, you know, make a amusment park inside some random hobo, like, think Disney and Jurrasic Park mixed together with the human body to make "Anatomy Park", trademarked by Rick by the way." Morty pointed out before resuming the story.

"But then one thing, like, happened, then another, soon enough, everything was trying to kill everyone working there, me and Rick. Turns out some guy was paid to do it, we had to leave behind the guy in charge, who turned out didn't wanna be left behind..."

"Hated that movie." Dawn muttered to herself, with Zoey being the only one to notice that.

"And so, me and Rick made it out alive, none worse for wear i guess." Morty finished.

"What about that Annie girl you mentioned?" Harold asked, Morty giving him a "REALLY?!" look on his face as everyone was too busy looking at the nerd to notice before regaining his composure.

"Who's Annie?" Kitty asked, curious about this girl who was just brought up now.

"Oh, her. No-nobody really." Morty started to sputter, getting back in control. "She worked there and was the only other survivor. She stayed behind to rebuild the park, haven't seen her since, but nice girl. Heh."

Giving that weak chuckle, Morty was glad he didn't mention the kiss to Harold, though he wished she wasn't brought up at all, especially with-

"RRINNGG!"

"Oh hey, cookies are done! Let go ice 'em!" Morty said, putting on a smile, rushing to the kitchen to take them out and to change the topic. "Ha, ice pun! Haha!"

As everyone grabbed their freshly made cookies, Cody tried to decorate his with icing, but after it immediately melts upon contact with the piping-hot cookie, while Morty went to ice his and accidently got some on Zoey's face, which she laughed off.

Harold then steered them all outside to the front yard to build snowmen while they waited for them to cool.

They split up into teams, Morty with Kitty and Noah, and Dawn with Zoey and Cody. Harold appointed himself Judge of the soon-to-be snowman building contest.

"Your snow-creatures will be judged on three categories!" Harold bellows in his best reality TV announcer voice.

"Firstly! Size. Any snow creature over six feet tall gets extra points! Second! Originality. We're not looking for regular old Frosty's here, though it would be cool if they came to life… Anyway!"

He gestures at the piles of winter clothing he'd left out on the porch.

"The third category is fashionability! You want to have the best looking snow critter on the block. The winners get first dibs at the hot chocolate bar, and the first round opening presents!"

"Well, let's get to it!" Kitty cried.

They start rolling snowballs. Morty got his as big and far as he could, then flopped over it, panting when he couldn't move it any further. Kitty jumped right in to help him at that point, and they pushed it until it reached a respectable size.

A glance at the other team's sculpture created a pit in Morty's stomach. Was that… A frickin' swan? It was clear they weren't going to win this off of artistic talent alone. It was go big or go home.

It's just a game, he reminded himself. What's most important is we have fun. Still, he wanted to make sure he and his team did the best they could.

All three of them started trying to lift the second largest snowball on top of the first, but after several minutes of trying they realized they couldn't, the lift was too far, the snow was too heavy, and they didn't have the strength for it. It was time to come up with a new plan.

"Okay, hear me out." Noah said as they held a group huddle. "We make a snow-caterpillar. Keep rolling snowballs, and those will be the different segments. Then we can focus on details like legs and eyes, whathaveyou, yeah?"

Morty and Kitty nodded in agreement.

They set to work with renewed vigor. The other teams swan was looking more elegant by the minute, but they had creative desperation on their side. As the clock was counting down- the clock being Harold counting the seconds in a bellowing announcer's voice- they put the finishing touches on their snow-caterpillar with a flourish.

"AND TIME!" Harold yelled.

They all stepped away from their snow sculptures, panting and grinning. Harold surveys them appraisingly.

"And we have some very excellent work here today! On my right, a lovely swan!"

"That was Dawn's idea!" Cody declared.

"And on my left, uh, it's…"

"A caterpillar!" Morty interjected.

"Of course! An absolutely smashing caterpillar. With scarves for legs. A nice touch."

He looks them over once again.

"Kay folks, i think it's a tie on originality. Can't say I've ever seen a snow swan, or a snow caterpillar before, so you both got me there, and size… Well, the caterpillar is objectively bigger, but neither team passed the six feet mark… oh whatever, Morty's team wins that one, and fashionability…"

He glanced from the caterpillar scarf legs, to the yellow gloves delicately tucked under the snow swan to mimic the appearance of feet.

"Both excellent uses for winter wear, but I think I'll have to hand it to team Caterpillar!"

Morty, Noah, and Kitty cheered loudly. The other team clapped appreciatively, and they ran over to check out their swan.

"It looks amazing!" Kitty said. "How did you get the neck to support the head like that? It's so thin!"

"Physics!" Zoey said, "And a few icicles. Whose idea was it with the legs for the caterpillar?"

"That was mine." Morty noted. "I mean, what use would a caterpillar have with a scarf? So, you know."

"Well, it's awfully smart of you Morty." Zoey smiled at him, which said boy appricated, though neither noticed the rather brief look of curiousity coming from Kitty at that.

"Who's ready for hot chocolate?!" Harold cried, breaking the (Be it brief) moment, and they filed back to the kitchen, laughing and chatting.

Morty was stirring his frothy hot chocolate with a peppermint stick, when he caught a flash of light through the kitchen window. He peered outside quizzically.

"Did you guys see that?"

Harold glanced over. "Hmm? What?"

"That, that green flash- Oh no."

Just then, a crash sounded from the entryway. Morty jumped, And Harold steadied him while instructing the rest to stay while he checked what it was. Just a second later, he ran back into the kitchen.

"Morty, your grandpa's back!"

'Damnit, not now...' Morty thought. He just new that the only reason Rick would come here is if something totally crazy happened, and he wasn't sure if he wanted the rest of his friends finding out what KIND of adventures he was offen dragged into.

Rick came staggering into the kitchen, smelling of singed fabric and… grape soda?

"Morty *urp* where are the cookies?"

"Wait, what?" Just a couple of hours ago he had made fun of them for wanting to make them, and now he wanted some? Go figure.

"No time to explain Morty! I gotta hold them off!"

"Hold them-" Morty was cut off when Rick spotted one of the cookie sheets on the stovetop and lunged for it, grabbing the whole thing and racing back for the entryway. Morty followed hastily.

What he saw in Harold's front yard created a lump in his throat. Two smoking spacecraft had formed craters in the driveway, and several pink and green aliens with multiple spindly limbs protruding from their torsos were milling about. Each of them were carrying weapons, and the looks on their faces, or what Morty assumed were their faces, didn't look friendly.

As if to prove the point, one of them pointed their… Gun? Harpoon? Laser Blaster?, at Morty, and fired. Morty dove out of the way as a ball of searing blue light crashed into the lampost he had been standing by and melted it instantly. Okay, E-Grade level laser blaster.

Rick started flinging ginger cookies at them and they recoiled, the cookies leaving angry purple marks wherever they made skin contact.

Rick used the last of the cookie ammo, then bolted back for the house Morty was right behind him.

They made it to the entryway, where the rest of the teens crowded together, staring at the scene outside. Cody, Noah, and Zoey looked lost and confused, the latter trying to paw at Morty's hand seemingly not on her own free will. Dawn was wide-eyed, but knowing. Harold and Kitty, however, were practically humming with excitement.

"This is so cool!" Harold whisper-shouted. "Do aliens come to earth often?"

"Cool?" Cody interjected, "What the hell are those things? They seem dangerous! Did you see what happened to that lamp post?"

"We're all gonna diiie!" Noah wailed.

"No, we're not Noah." Dawn reassured him.

Rick, who'd been pushing a chest of drawers towards the door, grunted derisively.

Morty was a nervous wreck. He wasn't expecting an alien attack in the middle of his friend's christmas party... well, he somewhat was, just not up to this scale! But this wasn't how he wanted the rest of his friends to find out about his… after school activities. But they were scared, well, with the exception of Harold and Kitty, and he would do anything he could to keep them safe.

"I-it's okay guys, this isn't really new to us, I'm sure we can handle it."

He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile, and turned back to Rick, look of panic quickly plasured on that they couldn't see.

"Who are the hell are they, and why the fuck are they coming after you?" He whispered in a frantic way.

Rick groaned as he shoved the chest of drawers the last bit of the way against the doorway.

"I messed with the wrong folks Morty. Went to another dimension to grab something, *urp* you know, daily errand kind of thing, but apparently they want it too, the usual sort. And they're high tech Morty. They've been tailing me through seventeen-erp-EIGHTEEN dimensions already."

"That… doesn't sound awesome." Harold said.

"No crap! Will somebody please explain to me what's going on?" Cody interjected.

"There's no time, I'll fill you in later." Dawn hushed. "So, how do we stop them?"

"Can't you just give them back whatever you took?" Morty asked. "There's got to be more of it somewhere right?"

"Come on Morty, *urp* you know me, that's the quitter's way out. And they probably wouldn't leave it at that, after seeing all the *urp* tricks I have up my sleeve. I've got countless pieces of tech they'll want to get their hands on, Morty. Besides, I've got a plan."

Morty groaned internally. Did his plan have to involve leading a legion of technologically-advanced murderous aliens to his friend's Christmas party? But he decided to go with it anyway.

"Okay, what do we do?"

Rick, who was already striding towards the kitchen, shouted over his shoulder.

"Use your head Morty, *urp* get every ounce and variation of ginger you can find, ginger bread, ginger ale, gingerbread strapon dildos, ANYTHING GINGER in the kitchen. This is war!"

Morty and the other teens followed Rick to the kitchen.

"What do you know Ginger of all things harms them?" Dawn asked.

"*urp* I discovered their weakness by pure accident when I was trying to throw them off and crashed through an old earth spice market. They've a severe *urp* sensitivity to ginger, like deathly allergic reaction if they're exposed to too much of it, Here!" Rick tossed a cookie to Dawn and started shoveling more into his pockets, which Kitty and Harold followed suit with gusto.

Noah pulled open drawer after drawer of spices, seemingly unphased by the alien attack.

Not wanting to let his friends do all the work, Morty started grabbing stacks of cookies.

After Harold had dug out every ounce of ginger he could find, including a package of ginger candies and some packets of pickled ginger from sushi night, the ragtag alien defense crew crept back to the entryway.

Morty and Harold peered through a window, trying to assess the situation. Before they could see much, though, Rick pulled the dresser away from the door and threw it open.

Three aliens, who'd presumably been waiting for this, hissed and readied their weapons.

Rick let out a large belch.

"Charge!"

Pandemonium erupted. A few of the aliens fired their blasters and Morty and his friends had to dive out of the way. Morty and Kitty scrambled behind their snow caterpillar and peered out at the scene.

The aliens had formed a defensive cluster in the center of the yard. His friends could be seen chucking cookies at them, but they weren't able to throw them far, and every so often one of the aliens would fire their blaster and send them scattering. They needed some different strategies.

Morty began crushing up his cookies and mushing them in the snow, forming crumb-packed snow balls.

"What are you- Oh, that's brilliant!" Kitty cried.

"Follow Morty's lead!" Zoey pointed out, seeing it.

Together they built up an arsenal as quickly as they could. And not a moment too soon, because just as the emerged from their shelter they heard a loud yelp from Noah as one of the lasers missed him by inches, singing his jacket sleeve.

"H-hey!" Morty cried, drawing the aliens attention over to where they stood, before unleashing a barrage of snowballs onto them.

Several aliens were hit, and they hissed as angry welts appeared on their skin.

The rest just fired back and the teens were forced to retreat to the front porch, still chucking a variety of ginger products their way. Harold managed to clock one with a snowball covered in pickled ginger strips, and it's reaction was so bad it skittered right back to the ship and readied for take off. A few more followed and the ship hummed and blipped out of existence.

The rest just seemed more resolute and began advancing towards the porch.

"Hold the front lines!" Harold bellowed.

Morty looked around and groaned when he realized that Rick had disappeared. They had completely run out of cookies, and resorted to pelting the aliens with bits of candied ginger, but even that was running out fast, and while the aliens were definitely affected, it just wasn't enough.

Just as they were digging the last of pickled ginger out of their packets, Rick burst back out onto the porch from inside carrying what looked like a belt with several gizmos and wires duct taped to it, and a modified remote control. He immediately pulled Morty aside and started strapping the belt to him.

"Rick, what-?"

"Desperate times call for desperate improvised measures, Morty. *Urp*." Rick thrust two open containers of ground ginger into Morty's hands. "This belt will work with the earth's magnetic field to keep you *urp* suspended in the air Morty. Don't worry, I'll control it. Just be sure to knock 'em out with that ginger, Morty."

"Rick! wait I-"

But Rick had already started fiddling with the remote, and Morty could feel himself being lifted into the air.

"Woah Morty, that's AWESOME!" Harold yelled. Even the aliens were momentarily dumbfounded, but soon started to take aim and fire as Morty floated closer to them.

"Whoa!" Rick smashed some buttons on the remote and Morty was violently pulled to the side, narrowly missing two laser beams. "THAT ONE WAS MY BAD!"

Morty began to feel sick as he was jostled this way and that by the magnetic fields and Rick's piloting, but he steeled his nerves. He only had one chance. He couldn't mess this up.

Finally, he was in position, directly above the aliens. He flipped over the jars of ground ginger and shook them like his life depended on it, because honestly, it pretty much did.

The aliens hissed and scattered as the fine ginger powder settled on them. Rick franticly piloted Morty's magnet belt so he could stay above them while still avoiding the shots from their weapons. After several grueling minutes where Morty was sure he was on the verge of losing his cookies, literally, the aliens seemed to have had enough, and hurriedly piled into their spaceships and blipped away.

Rick lowered Morty to the ground, and his friends cheered and wrapped him in a giant hug.

"I am still not over the fact that aliens exist, but you did great out there!" Cody said.

"Oh man, my parents will not be happy about the yard, but that was so cool!" Said Harold.

Kitty just gave Morty a big hug. "That was close!"

Then to her surprise, Zoey joined in. "Very close, nice job!"

"Yeah, thanks guys!" Morty said. He turned to Rick. "What was it they wanted anyway?"

Rick grunted. "See, *urp* there was this movie your mom wanted to see years ago. The Incredible something something, whatever *urp* I never took her, she never really got over it, and there's hardly any remaining copies anywhere, so I thought 'Hey, why not do some dimension hopping and get it for her this year?' But obviously *urp*, those guys wanted it too. Hell if I know why. There's probably some serious information hidden in there like "Enemy of The State", only with a VHS instead of a computer card that somehow fit in a TurboExpress, or PC Engine GT in Japan. Probably why most of the copies were destroyed, but there you have it. *urp*"

"Wow Rick, that's... actually somewhat thoughtful." Morty said, bit surprised.

"Yeah, *urp* but don't gush about it."

Dawn narrowed her eyes at Rick. "So why would you lead them here and put your grandson and all of us in danger when you could have led the aliens to say, a ginger farm instead?"

Rick pondered for a second, actually thrown off. "Hmmpf, never thought of that, Lovegood. But Morty here *urp* can handle it."

He clapped Morty on the shoulder. "Well *urp* I should get going. Let you wild kids get back to your little party here."

And with that he pulled out his portal gun, opened a portal, and stepped through.

The rest of the day went pretty smoothly, all things considered. When Harold's parents came home they made up a story about a sudden intense lightning storm to explain the damage in the yard, and while they seemed skeptical, they weren't angry. They spent the rest of the night drinking hot chocolate, playing board games, and opening presents.

Dawn and Cody had picked out gifts for each of them. Morty's gift was a T-shirt that read 'I Want to Believe' with a little ufo on it, as if fate was being a dick to him.

The night wound down to a close, and Morty hugged his friends goodbye. When Kitty's mom came to pick her up, she offered Morty a ride too, which he was all too glad to accept.

As he was dropped off at his door, he turned back to see Kitty waving brightly at him.

"Merry Christmas Morty!"

He waved back, and smiled.

We find ourselves looking into a quaint lovely coffee shop, where only a few people were in, and in a far corner was a booth capable of seating five people. And in it was seated Kitty and Emma, who had brought Noah along, with two other adults with them.

One was a older woman, looking just like Emma, but with a fuller face, her hair longer and swept back and she wore glasses. She was dressed in a red sweater and black jeans. This was Jennifer Rosewood, Kitty and Emma's mother.

Next to her was her husband, a debonair, older, refined man. His hair slicked back, grey and black goatee trimmed and face was very chiseled, very handsome, and he had a calm, serene sorta look about him. David Rosewood was his name. Dressed in a black silk button up shirt, but he had the sleeves of a heavy winter coat tied around his waist.

"So, when did they say they'd get here, Kitten?" David asked Kitty.

"Oh, soon, Daddy. In fact they said they were parking up front when I got the text." Kitty said.

"Oh, I think I see them." Emma said as she saw Morty enter through the front door in winter gear with two older people, a man and a woman.

A elderly man, and a woman of equal age, with wrinkly skin and big hair. Her hair was blonde and dim and, very poofy and wavy. She wore a red turtleneck sweater and a white jacket. She also wore a light purple skirt with a black belt.

"Morty, over here!" Kitty called out, waving to Morty.

Morty waved back, and walked over with the other two, who smiled at the five in the booth.

"Hey, Kitty, Emma, good to see you again. Same with you Noah." Morty said as they got up from the booth.

Kitty hugged Morty with a giggle, causing Morty to blush, but return the hug.

"Yeah, I'm fine with a handshake." Emma teased as she shook Morty's hand.

"Good to see you again as well." Noah said, giving a nod to Morty as Emma walked over to where her parents and Morty's grandparents were.

"Hi." Jennifer greets the elder couple. "I'm Jennifer, and this my husband David."

"Hello, it's so nice to meet you," The woman greeted. "I'm Joyce, and this is Leonard, my husband." She shook Jennifer's hand warmly.

"A pleasure." Leonard said shaking David's hand. "We're Morty's grandparents, we apologize that his parents couldn't come, but we figured as long as you met some parental figures."

"Even if they were Grandparent figures." Joyce joked.

"Of course, and I think it's quite understandable," David said. "We were fortunate to get this time off, so we'll happily chat with you."

"Mom, is it alright if me, Emma, Noah and Morty catch up at another table while you too talk?" Kitty asked hesitantly.

Jennifer looked at her husband, who nods at her thoughtful expression.

"Of course, it'll give us more of a change to chat since we doubt you kids will want to be involved with the conversation." Jennifer said with a teasing wink at Morty.

Morty chuckled nervous, but Kitty patted his shoulder, Emma gave him a friendly nudge.

"Come on, Morty, help Kitty find a table, i'll be around in a bit." Emma said.

"Okay, we'll be over there, Grandma and Grandpa." Morty said to Joyce and Leonard.

"Okay, if you need anything just come over, Sweetie." Joyce said kissing Morty on the cheek.

Morty blushed, as Kitty giggled, the two heading off with Noah as Emma stayed behind, having her own reasons.

"He's such a shy thing." Joyce said with a small sigh.

"But he's improving." Leonard said as he sat at the booth, watching as the others sat down, and seeing the kids get a table not too far off.

"Oh yes, he used to be bad with stuttering," Joyce admits. "But he's come a long way from then, Leonard."

"I can still hear you!" Morty's voice rang out, having heard that embarrassing detail.

Jennifer, David and Emma glanced at each other.

"Yes, we heard he was..." Jennifer frowned trying to think of the proper words.

"Unsociable." David said in helpful manner.

"Yes, yes, but we believe that's your daughters work," Joyce said. "Kitty is a fantastic young girl from what we heard, and she and Emma are fine young ladies."

"Thank you Mrs. Smith." Emma smiled, hoping they get to some juicy info.

"Yep, Morty's told us how Kitty's been such a good friend to him, and a real positive influence." Leonard said with a happy smile.

"That is High Praise, Leonard." David said.

"But that does make us proud of Kitty." Jennifer said. "She's always been a sweet girl, friendly, and always bringing out the best in others."

"We were slightly worried, but if Kitty, Emma and Morty say they bring out the best in him. Then we can trust him." David said.

Leonard nods with Joyce.

"We understand, a boy getting so close to your child, it's understandable to be worried." Leonard said.

"But Morty is the best creature in the world, and would never hurt someone like your sweet daughters." Joyce said.

"We just never heard of him really socializing, and heard he didn't have any friends before the girls met him." Jennifer said in a apologetic tone.

"That is sad." Emma frowned, holding Joyce's hand.

"No, your right, he didn't really have any." Joyce said with a sad expression.

"Except for Rick, I don't think anyone else got him to get out of the house and do stuff." Leonard said.

"Rick is..." David asked with a furtive expression.

"Oh, Rick Sanchez, Morty's Maternal Grandfather." Leonard said.

"He and Morty hang out together a lot, Rick often takes him on trips..." Leonard trails off, rubbing his chin with a frown. "Well, lets say, out of town. On Business trips."

Jennifer noticed, but decided not to say anything about the slight delay.

"Well, they must be close then, but it's good to have friends outside of Family, of course." Jennifer said.

"We are glad our girls get on so well, but it's nice to know they're befriending Morty, and he them." David said.

"Yes, actually, we're kinda relieved." Joyce said.

"Relieved you say?" Emma asked, trying to bait some answers out of her about Rick.

"'Why?'" David asked. That's what Emma was looking for.

"Oh...well, nothing serious but.." Joyce looks at Leonard for help.

"It's just that Rick, tends not to be the most positive role model, and Morty himself often tries to avoid him if he's...not in the mood for Rick." Leonard said.

David and Jennifer exchanged worried stares. It sounded like they didn't have anything to worry about Morty, but the Grandfather Rick didn't sound promising.

"I mean, it's not easy since Rick now is living with Morty's family." Leonard said.

"But Rick's Mother insists on Morty spending time with his Grandfather," Joyce explains. "And really, before Kitty, there wasn't anyone else for Morty to hang out with. And Beth wants Rick and Morty to really bond, after Rick's being gone for Twenty years."

David and Jennifer looked alarmed.

"Rick hasn't been around his family in 20 years!?" David said incredulous.

"Please, don't misunderstand. I am positive that Jerry and Beth have things under control," Leonard said. "They wouldn't let Rick take Morty on those trips, if he abused their trust."

David and Jennifer looked at each other in surprise, but after a bit they nodded.

"Mom, dad?" Emma asked, noting their reaction.

"I suppose so, if they're anything like you two, or us." Jennifer said with acceptance in her voice.

"Oh, well, I don't know about that," Leonard laughed. "But they do care for their kids, and your children will be fine if they hang out with Morty."

"Of course. It would be cruel to tell them, they couldn't see each other." David said. "I mean, it's kinda moot since they're so close now."

"Which I think we both approve of." Jennifer states. "Morty..he's a calm, level headed young man. And our Kitten could use someone like him for a friend."

They all got a good laugh out of that, though Emma was hoping to get more out of them, but she had to play the part as the other teens over at the next table looked over in surprise.

"Well, they're laughing, that's a good thing." Morty said.

"Yeah." Kitty turned with a pout. "But I can't help feeling they're laughing at something involving me."

Noah laughed, and nudged Kitty's shoulder, trying to get her to focus, and Kitty looked to Morty.

"So, anything exciting happen to you lately?" Kitty asked Morty. "I mean, we've just been pretending to talk while trying to read our parents, and your grandparents lips."

Morty blushed, as Noah shook his head in amused exasperation.

"Well, not really...except..." Morty looked nervous. "You...uh, remember when it rained blood a while back, right?"

"Morty, are you serious?" Noah asked shocked. "The whole United States remembers things getting Biblical, I'm pretty sure it's gonna go down into the History books taught a hundred years from now!"

Morty twiddled his fingers nervously.

"Well, it kinda, maybe, possibly, totally was my Grandpa Rick's doing." Morty confessed.

Noah blinked incredulous, but Kitty gasped, not doubting Morty.

"Whaaaaaat. Your...I mean, do I even WANT to ask WHY, or HOW?" Kitty asked.

"Ummm...you don't want to know the HOW," Morty said with a grimace. "But basically, me and some others were trapped in a sorta tech-bubble miniaturized, and so Rick had to do something drastic to rescue me and them."

Noah was a tad dubious.

"I'd say your full of it." Noah frowned. "But given no one else came forward and Rick's reputation, I'd say this pretty much explains it. Yikes."

Kitty grimaced.

"Well, I'm very much glad your alright, Morty. But please, please, please DO NOT tell us 'how' and 'what' happened."

"Long as you don't mention any of this to your parents, I think we should be okay." Morty pointed out, laughter among the teens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: I hope you enjoy the chapter, for those that are confuse about the metion of Melody and the Blumbus adventure, that from the Rick and Morty comics #8. For those of your that don't know, Rick and Morty has a comic book series that stars a Rick and Morty from an alternate dimension than their TV counterparts (Dimension C-132), in order to remove worries about continuity with the original show and to give more free reign to the writers. I love the comic series so much that I plan on using characters, contact, and elements from the comics in my story. I know it in a alternate dimension, but this is my story. This chapter is showing the aftermath of Harold and Kitty first dark adventure with Rick and Morty. It was to tie up some lose ends, Morty Harold and Kitty are dealing with the horrible implications of what Rick did. But true to the morally of the show I wanted to show Rick actions were the Lesser of the two evils, and the Chosen actions were going to destroy themselves along with there world, Rick my have to trick and destroy them, but if they success they would slowly destroy there world and themselves. But in typical Rick fashion, he has a selfish reason for his actions, something to profit from this adventure. For Morty paternal grandparents meeting Kitty parents, I wanted Kitty parents to be curious about Rick and step up a meeting to learn about him. Remember Emma in chapter 7 decide to investigate Rick and Morty, this will play into a future chapter.


End file.
